Risking For Love
by BreatheSummerBay
Summary: The risks and dangers there are when a police officer and a leader of a gang decide to get together.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's notes: Tegan told Brax and Heath that Darcy was Heath's daughter two weeks before the Braxton's moved to Summer Bay. _

**Chapter One **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>There was never one girl I would fall for, but I wasn't like Heath who chased after every girl I saw. I usually kept to myself as there were so many great women around. I guess there was Tegan, but I mean, well, that's just Tegan. She was a childhood friend and as we became older, we became closer. Although we went through so many highs and lows, it was settled that it would be a lot better if we just stuck to being friends, especially how I'm her daughter's uncle. When I moved to Summer Bay, there were quite a few hot chicks, but I kept my eye on one in particular. She was tall, healthy and so beautiful. The way she walked, the way she talked; she was perfect for me. There was only one problem. She was a cop. The River Boys would kill me if they found out I was crushing on a cop, and I highly doubt she would be okay with dating one of us. Well, it's not like we've done anything extremely wrong, we just haven't been in the cop's, or anyone in Summer Bay's, good books. We would always get blamed for everything bad that happened, and cops would always chase after us, but one chased after us a lot more than the rest. Charlie Buckton. That's her name. She's the one I like. I know I hardly know her, but damn is she hot. Either she just enjoys going after me, or she likes me as well. Those are the only two possible reasons to why she would always come around to my house, asking the most pointless questions.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Angelo was the last boyfriend I'd had. We ended on good terms, and even if he left for the city with Nicole, he still looked out for Ruby and I. We would visit each other once a month, mainly for Ruby's sake. After we broke up, nobody had caught my attention. Well, that may have completely changed after the River Boys moved to the bay. Even if they constantly were up to no good, it was hard to deny that they were all pretty hot, especially the leader of the gang, Darryl Braxton. Just quietly, as much as I may have wanted to get into his pants, I knew it was completely off limits, and that thought shouldn't have even crossed my mind. He kept smiling at me on the single's night down at Angelo's, and that definitely made my heart melt. I knew I shouldn't be getting my hopes up though. Why would someone in a gang, not to mention the leader of the gang, be interested in a cop? Besides, I knew nobody would give their blessing for me to ever get into a relationship with Brax.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>A week had gone by since we moved into the house Roo was renting out to us. The house gave Heath, Casey and I a lot more privacy without mum around. Today was one of the most beautiful days. The sun was shining so brightly, and it was the perfect day for waves. Heath and the boys had gone Wilson's beach as the waves were bigger, so I literally got the beach all to myself. Actually no, I shouldn't speak too soon. As soon as I was about to go into the waves, Charlie was jogging towards me on the beach. She was staring at me, so I guess it was worth a try to ask her out.  
>"You should give surfing a go?"<br>"No thanks, it's not really my thing," she replied.  
>"I could always teach you?"<br>"Yeah, nah... I don't think so, sorry."  
>Oh, how surprising, she turned me down. I needed to come up with a way where I'll get her attention.<p>

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>After I spoke to Brax while jogging along the beach, he was all I could think of. Maybe I should've taken up his offer about learning how to surf? Although there would be so many people who would get suspicious. First of all, everyone in the bay knew surfing wasn't her thing. Second of all, out of all the people she could possibly get surfing lessons from, why would she pick Brax? Especially seeing as Romeo has been advertising his surfing school the whole time... But then again, it is a free world. She should be able to do whatever she wants. It's a shame the world is so judgemental now... Not to mention anyone in particular... *Cough* Colleen *cough*.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Surfing wasn't going well at all. I kept falling off my board, and kept finding myself looking out onto the sand to see if Charlie was there. The only way I could get something out of her was to find out what she likes. All I can figure out is that she loves her job. Even when she isn't in her uniform, she still talks and acts like a cop. Wait. The perfect idea just hit me. Maybe I could ask Casey for some help seeing as he goes out with Ruby? Perhaps they could plan a get together, but with more than just us... A family barbecue. That's it. I could get everyone to know each other, yet it'd be a perfect excuse to get some alone time with Charlie. The question on everyone's lips would be why on earth is a copper at our place? It makes even less sense seeing as the amount of times the cops turned up at our door step when Heath, Casey and I were heaps younger. It was worth a try though... The worse that can happen is for Charlie to turn the invitation down. Well Ruby would want her mum to get to know her boyfriend's family yeah? At least she would be able to persuade Charlie...


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Just so you all don't get confused, Ruby and Casey are in their last year of school._

**Chapter Two**

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Once Ruby came through the door, she was completely out of breath. Since when did she ever want to get home so quickly? She almost ran into me because I was just about to meet Bianca at the diner. According to her, I was only allowed to go out after she had spoken to me.  
>"Rubes, what is it?" I asked her.<br>"A barbecue. Casey's family is holding a barbecue. Can we go? Pretty please with cherry on top?"  
>"Hold your horses Rubes. What do you mean by 'we'?"<br>"You and me, duh."  
>"Why would Casey want me to come? The Braxton's hate my guts, especially their mum. The amount of times I've turned up at their doorstep in my police car is insane."<br>"But still! You're my mum so he wants you there."  
>"Yeah, only Casey."<br>"What? No?"

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>Oh no... I did not just say that. Casey told me it was Brax who kept begging him to tell me to bring Charlie along. How am I going to get myself out of this?  
>"What do you mean no? Who wanted me there then?" Charlie asked.<br>"Oh jokes, I meant like he was the Braxton who asked you there... I want you there too!"  
>Real smooth Ruby, I thought to myself.<br>"Fine, whatever you say. When is this barbecue?" she asked.  
>"Tomorrow night."<br>"Really? That soon?"  
>"Yeah, it's not a problem is it?"<br>"I'm not too sure Rubes, I'll see if I can swap my shift..."  
>"Okay, but please try to come along! For my sake Charlie!"<br>Brax was counting on me to get her to come along. I don't know why he her to come so desperately, but with him, it was best not to ask. Besides, I didn't want to get on the wrong side of a Braxton.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I honestly don't understand why they would want me at the barbecue. Well, it Brax may have put the idea into Casey's head, but that will probably be it. I have no idea whether I should go. Besides, I have a night shift tomorrow. It's not like it'll go down well with Inspector Joyce if I said I needed to have tomorrow night off because the Braxton's have invited me for a barbecue. He would probably kill me. Joyce and the Braxton's have never gotten along well. I could lie about it, except if it had any flaws, I'd be in even more trouble. I kind of do want to go to the barbecue. It'd be kinda cute to see Brax with his family. I could always get Watson to cover for me seeing as I pretty much only have to do paperwork. Oh wait; speaking of Watson, she has the afternoon shift tomorrow. Perhaps I could swap with her? I'll be done by the time the barbecue starts.

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>Brax wouldn't stop pestering me all night.  
>"Has Ruby told you if she and Charlie are coming tomorrow or not?"<br>That's all he said to me. I kept asking him why he wanted to know so badly. I'm his own brother, yet he doesn't even want to tell me. He just keeps saying it's none of my business and I should get back to studying. None of my business? As if. Obviously I'm not the person he keeps asking about the guest list for tomorrow. I was in the same room as him when my phone vibrated.  
>"Is it Charlie?" he asked me.<br>"No, it's Ruby... Hold on, let me read the message first."  
>What on earth makes him think that Charlie would be texting me? The only reason I have her number is because of Ruby, in case she gets in trouble or anything. There was something I had to ask Brax.<br>"You have the hots for Charlie don't you?"  
>"No? She's your girlfriend's mum, that's completely wrong."<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>He did not just ask me that. Never in a million years would I tell him. He and Ruby would find it wrong in so many levels.  
>"Then how come you keep asking me if they're coming?" Casey asked.<br>"Well, the more the merrier," I said.  
>"Sure, sure. If you say so Brax."<br>This was the perfect time for me to escape from this conversation. I did not want him to know about my feelings. Just as I walked out the door, I heard Casey yell to me.  
>"Oh, and just so you know, Ruby and Charlie (emphasis on her name) are coming!"<br>Emphasising Charlie's name? Was that really necessary? But oh well, Charlie was coming and that's all I could think about. I went back into the room to grab some cash and went off to the diner.

Casey P.O.V.  
><span>Was it just me, or did Brax have the biggest smile on his face when he came back into the room..? I would've told Ruby, but knowing her, she probably would have freaked out. I decided I'd find a moment where Brax was even happier to ask him about Charlie again. Although I don't understand what would be so bad about telling me? I get that the cops are constantly after us; actually no. They're always after Heath except Brax always bails him out. Anyways, nobody can help who they fall for. Speaking of Heath, he would be a lot worse. He would completely flip out.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Once I got to the diner, the first person I saw was Charlie. What perfect timing, I thought. She was busy reading the paper so I decided to order some food first. I wasn't planning on staying for too long, but I wanted to have a chat with Charlie. Unfortunately, when I looked back at her table, she was in a conversation with Leah. Damn you, Leah. Don't you have a job to do? Luckily by the time I got my order, Leah was back in the kitchen. Charlie saw me walking over to her table and smiled. That's gotta be a good start right..?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three **

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Brax pulled out a chair from under the table and sat beside me. He had the most charming smile. I kept staring without realising how awkward it would've been. Luckily, he started off a conversation.  
>"So I hear you're coming to the barbecue tomorrow?"<br>"Yeah, I am. Is there anything you'd like me to bring?" I said to him.  
>"No thanks, just you and Ruby will be fine."<br>"Okay, that's cool. Is there anyone I know who will also be there?"  
>Before Brax could answer, Bianca arrived at the table. She subconsciously pulled out a chair between Brax and Charlie and sat down, without realising she was right in the middle of a conversation.<br>"Oh, sorry! I hope I'm not interrupting or anything?" she asked.  
>"Oh no, it's fine. I was just about to leave anyways. See ya Charlie," said Brax.<br>"Bye," I replied with a smile.  
>I know I was suppose to meet Bianca here, but did she really have to interrupt us? Brax and I were getting along. For once we were having a conversation about something other than the rights and wrongs of the law. I don't know why he thought he had to leave though; he could've stayed with Bianca and me.<br>"Why were you talking to Brax?" Bianca asked, interrupting my thoughts.  
>"Am I not allowed to talk to him?" Oh wow, another person who probably wouldn't approve of me having feelings for Brax.<br>"Well it's just that he's a leader of a gang, and well, you're a cop, not to mention a Sergeant."  
>"It shouldn't make a difference though. Besides, have you forgotten that my daughter is dating his brother?"<br>"Yeah, yeah, but I thought you didn't approve of it at first?"  
>"Yeah, that was ages ago! They're kinda growing on me now. Besides, Casey has been keeping Ruby happy so I guess that's all it matters."<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Did I really have to leave the diner so soon? It probably would've been a little awkward for someone to see me having a normal conversation with Charlie. Ugh, why did Bianca have to come so quickly? I wanted to see where Charlie and I's chat would've taken us. Wait, that is such a stupid thought. Obviously it wouldn't have gotten anywhere seeing as there was a huge amount of people in the diner with us. People seeing us talk in public is such a huge deal. Well perhaps we could've left the diner together. I could've taken her to the motel room I rent out for my own privacy. I decided it was best if I went home to grab my surfboard. Going surfing would help me clear my head out.

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>Once Brax got home, I tried to talk to him, but he completely ignored me. I thought only girls were suppose to have mood swings? I wanted to ask him more about the barbecue. Ruby and I were planning to make a little something for everyone to eat. Also, I wanted to ask him if Ruby could stay the night. Well actually, that was the main thing I wanted to ask him about. I followed him into his room.  
>"What do you want Case?" he demanded.<br>Woah bro, calm down I thought. What was with him?  
>"Are you okay Brax? You don't seem like yourself."<br>"Sorry mate, I've just got to clear my head."  
>"Oh..."<br>Whenever he said he needed to clear his head, it meant he was on his way to go for a surf.  
>"Wait, can I ask you something first?" I said.<br>"Yeah, but make it quick."  
>"Would it be okay if Ruby stayed the night tomorrow?"<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Casey just asked me if Ruby could stay the night. Great. That just ruins all my plans. I was hoping Charlie could stay... Wait, that wouldn't exactly work out. How could Ruby go home without wanting to know why Charlie wasn't going with her?  
>"Well I was actually going to see if you could stay at Ruby's? I kind of want the house to myself..." I replied.<br>"What about Heath? He'll be here with all the boys won't he?"  
>"Yeah, so wouldn't you want a quiet house with Ruby?"<br>"Brax, stop talking now. Okay, I'll ask Ruby if we can stay at hers, but I highly doubt Charlie would agree to it."  
>"Okay, let me know what she says."<br>After that, I walked to the beach with my head full of questions and ideas. The only way Ruby wouldn't notice Charlie gone is if she was too busy occupied with Casey... Although I wouldn't like to think about them going that far...

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Just as I pulled up to the driveway, my phone rang. It was Ruby calling. I chose to not pick it up, in case she was at home. I knocked at the door, and yes, she opened it for me.  
>"Charlie, there you are!" Ruby yelled.<br>"Haha, should I be expecting a hyped up greeting every time I see you?" I joked.  
>"You're hilarious Charlie. Anyways, I was wondering if Casey and I could come back here slightly earlier than planned tomorrow?"<br>"Yeah, sure. Anytime for me is fine."  
>"Yeah, um, that's the thing... I don't want to sound mean or harsh, but we meant by ourselves..."<br>"But I won't know anyone else there?"  
>"It doesn't matter! You're outgoing, you'll get along with everyone!"<br>"Okay, fine, but be safe."  
>"Haha, thank you Charlie! I love you!"<br>Tomorrow night will either go perfectly well, or it'll be extremely awkward. I might decide to leave slightly after than Ruby and Casey, but it would be way too awkward if I was in the house with them. Fortunately for Leah, she had gone to the city for a girls night with Roo, Irene, Colleen and Marilyn while VJ stayed at a friend's place. I don't want to stay at the barbecue with myself though. Brax and Heath would be the only other people I know, yet I hardly talk to them. Well I do like Brax, but it's not like I would make a move on him in front of all his family and friends. Oh well, I'll have to see how it goes tomorrow...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I packed up some of the stock we had from Angelo's to take to the barbecue. There was a lot left over so I'm sure nobody would've minded if I took anything. Besides, I did own the place right? I wanted to make something myself instead of always relying on the cooks here. The only problem was I didn't know what to make. Maybe if I was a good cook, I would know, except I'm probably the complete opposite. This is why I employ staff and hardly ever cook at home. I decided to ask Casey if he knows what she likes... Actually no, scratch that. He would start interrogating me again. Well she always comes into Angelo's for pizzas... How about some pizza bread? That should be pretty straight forward to make yeah? I scanned the kitchen quickly and noticed there was a lot of flour left over. Quite a few pizza toppings were lying around the room as well... I went outside just to make sure I had put the "closed" sign up at Angelo's. I surely didn't want anyone turning up while I was trying to cook.

I found a few recipes hidden under the pile of papers. They were all pizza recipes so I decided to follow those instead of making pizza bread. Vegetarian... Hawaiian... Meat Lovers... Margherita... Supreme... Which pizza topping was Charlie's favourite? Right, the receipts. We still have them. All I'll do is go through Charlie's transactions. I opened the draw closest to me. It was full of receipts. How was I suppose to go through them all in such a short amount of time? Trying the computer would be a lot easier. I searched her name. Oh great; she orders a huge variety of pizzas. I decided to go for the simplest one, Hawaiian.

Making pizza was a lot harder than I thought. All I thought you were suppose to do was follow the recipe but it was so complicated. There was so much stuff on the table. Oh awkward... I just knocked over a bag of flour. It went all over me. I was covered in flour all over. This was not going well at all. I poked my head out of the door, double checking that the coast was clear and walked to the bathroom.  
>"Brax! Is that you?"<br>Oh crap. Casey had seen me. I slid into one of the bathroom cubicles so that hopefully he would leave me alone.  
>"Brax? Are you in here?"<br>Ugh. Did he really have to come in?  
>"Uh... Yeah, I am..." I said slowly.<br>"I thought I didn't recognise you when I saw you..? Why are you so pale?"  
>"Oh god Casey, pale? I was completely white as I was covered in flour."<br>"Are you kidding me Brax? Since when have you baked?"  
>"Well I just wanted to do something special for tonight."<br>"To impress Charlie?"  
>"No. Can we please just drop the whole Charlie thing?"<br>"Fine."  
>"Now I want you to take off because I need to carry on with the pizza after I get myself cleaned up."<p>

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Finding something to wear for the barbecue was a bit of a challenge. I didn't know what everyone else was wearing. Usually I would just wear a pair of shorts and a singlet to a casual barbecue, but who knows what they did in Mangrove River... Ruby walked past my room, wearing a dress you'd usually wear to a school formal.  
>"Are you seriously going to wear that?" I asked her.<br>"Yeah, well Casey told me to dress nicely."  
>"Rubes, it's a barbecue! You usually wear some of your more casual clothes. Am I suppose to wear something nice too?"<br>"I guess?"  
>Well this was confusing. I didn't want to overdress in case it looked like I was trying too hard. I decided to just stick with a mini skirt and singlet.<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>In the end, I had to get one of the staff to make the pizza for me. I watched him closely, so that I could learn any tips from him in case I wanted to attempt to make one again. Fat chance though. I'm not trying to sound like a girl or anything, but I wanted to look nice for Charlie. I guess it didn't matter too much of what I wore because I was hoping I would end up with just the board shorts on by the end of the night. Hopefully Heath would move the party down to the beach later that night.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>"Rubes, are you ready?"  
>"Yup, but give me a minute or two," she replied.<br>It was time for us to leave for the barbecue. I keep asking myself why I'm making such a huge fuss over this. It's not like it should affect me or anything. This was suppose to be for Casey and Ruby. Well actually, it was for all of us to get to know each other better, but that could've been done way easier with me looking them up at the station.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Guests had already started flowing in for the night. I always went to answer the door in case it was Charlie and Ruby. After about twenty people drifted in, I got tired of getting up and down so I just left it open. I made sure that I was watching the door at all times. That completely failed when Casey stood right in front of the doorway. That's when it hit me. Obviously Ruby was here or else he wouldn't be standing there for so long.  
>"Don't stand in the way Case," I said to him as I got up.<br>"Oh right, sorry bro."  
>Casey took Ruby into his room, leaving Charlie and I on our own. I offered her a drink, but she didn't want one. Well this was going well, wasn't it? I decided to take the whole "normal conversation" lead and asked her about how her work was going. I doubt it was the smartest move I've made, mainly because she was usually always after us. Thankfully she's a polite person and asked me about Angelo's.<p>

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Brax and I were having your typical "getting to know each other" conversation. "No Charlie, that's not what you want," I kept saying inside my head. I wanted to get closer to him, without being surrounded by all these people.  
>"Is it okay if we go for a walk?" I asked him.<br>"We?" he repeated.  
>"Yeah, just to get away from all these people. I don't usually like being in crowded places," I told him.<br>"Yeah, of course."  
>We sneaked outside the door without anyone noticing. Hopefully Casey and Ruby were occupied so they didn't need to worry about Brax and me.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Hearing the waves crashing against the shore put me in my comfort zone while walking along the beach with Charlie. Even though it was night time, there was a full moon out. The scenery was beautiful. I couldn't ask for anything better. Charlie and I moved from our conversation about work to our interests. I kept persuading her to take up surfing, but she kept hesitating. Wow, maybe it really wasn't her thing.  
>"Do you think we should go back to the barbecue?" she asked me.<br>I told her it was fine if we stayed here. I didn't want us to be surrounded by people again because I liked being alone with her. She was the most gorgeous woman you could ever come across. She was quite tall, yet skinny but healthy. Her red mini skirt showed off her amazing tanned long legs. Her hair fell down her shoulders beautifully. Charlie looked amazing whenever you saw her, but man do I want her even more than before tonight.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Just quietly, I'm not going to lie; Brax and the beach are perfect. I wanted us to get closer, but who knows if we were on the same page? We walked back to his house in silence. Instead of going inside, he stopped in front of his car. He opened the door for me, and told me to go in. I wasn't too sure about what was happening. Brax had a reputation for a reason. I knew better than to argue against him, so I went in. He drove us to a motel.  
>"What are we doing here?" I asked him.<br>Instead of giving me an answer, he leaned forward and gave me a kiss. It didn't end there; I kissed him back and it went on for a while. We stopped for a second as he got out of his car. He came over to my side of the car and carried me inside the motel room.

Brax placed me onto the king sized bed. Before joining me, he threw his shirt off. He climbed onto the bed and started kissing me again. We kissed passionately for awhile before he started to feel up my shirt. He leaned closer into me. He was about to undo my bra, but I couldn't let him. I pushed him away from me.  
>"Brax, I'm sorry but I can't do this," I told him.<br>"Why not Charlie?" he asked.  
>Was he being for real or what? Surely he knew what people would think? My job would be at risk.<br>"Are you serious Brax? Have you not thought about how this could reflect the both of us?" I demanded.  
>"I have, but this is about us, not them. Who cares what people think? We're suppose to do what we want."<br>"I know, I know, but I'm sorry. I just can't."  
>With that, I grabbed all my belongings and headed home.<p>

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>Ruby and I were kissing on her bed, but we quickly got up as soon as we heard the front door slam shut.  
>We both heard Charlie's voice. "Ruby, are you here?"<br>Ruby and I looked at each other. How were we going to explain that we were in her bedroom without it sounding awkward?  
>"Quickly go!" Ruby whispered loudly to me.<br>"What? As in walk past Charlie and out the front door?" I joked.  
>"No, you idiot; the window!" she whispered even louder.<br>"I'm your boyfriend! It shouldn't matter!"  
>"Casey, is that you with Ruby?" Charlie asked.<br>Oh great, she had heard us. We decided it was best if we both came out of the room. There stood Charlie in the messiest state. Ruby and I exchanged glances.  
>"Err... I think I should get home now," I told them both.<br>"Already?" Charlie asked.  
>"Yeah, I highly doubt Brax knows I'm here."<br>"Oh okay. Make sure you tell him I say thank you for inviting us to the barbecue."  
>"Yup, I definitely will. Bye!"<br>Once I'd gotten out of their sight, I bursted out laughing. That could've quite possibly been the most awkward few minutes of my life. Charlie was messy. Her hair was all over the place. Her clothes were the complete opposite of neat, and a lot of her lipstick was smeared all over the place. She may as well have had "I made out with a stranger" tattooed across the top of her forehead. The question was with who...

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Well wasn't that awkward? First of all, I pretty much interrupted Ruby and Casey, and second of all, I knew I was in a total mess without looking when I saw them both. Thankfully I escaped quickly enough to the bathroom to avoid any questions from Ruby. I looked into the mirror for the first time since I left the motel, and my make up was everywhere. My clothes were creased too. As if Ruby and Casey were blunt enough to not realise what I did tonight. Hopefully, neither of them would suspect anything. Before slipping out of the bathroom, I made sure that Ruby was in her own room.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Fortunately, nobody was at home when I got back. Heath must have taken the boys for a bonfire down at the beach. I was gutted that Charlie didn't want to take anything further, but at least I got her tonight. I wasn't too sure about what was going on between us because she raced out of the motel ever so quickly. I wanted to speak to her again, but it would have to be face to face. How was I going to get her to talk to me in public after what she said to me tonight?

I noticed that Charlie's lipstick was on my face when I went to use the toilet. I couldn't hear anyone in the house so I went into the kitchen to grab some paper towels which were stacked behind the wall. Once I stepped back into the open space of the kitchen, I turned around and saw Casey at the door. He was looking straight ahead at me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>What was I suppose to do? There was no way out of it. He started laughing his head off. I decided to ignore him and went back into the bathroom.  
>"Brax, wait up bro!"<br>Oh great. He was going to be at it again.  
>"What do you want Case?" I demanded.<br>"The lipstick. Where were you tonight anyways?"  
>"At the barbecue. Mate, you saw me there."<br>"Yeah, at the very beginning. I saw you slip out with Charlie."  
>Hold on, what? Wasn't he taking Ruby to his room? I swear he has eyes on the back of his head.<br>"We just went for a walk, that's it," I assured him.  
>"Really?"<br>"Yes Casey, just drop it okay? Please?"  
>I turned the radio on loudly in the bathroom to drown Casey out in case he was still talking to me. I went in for a long shower in case Heath came back. I would be dead meat if it was him who saw me instead of Casey.<p>

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>I knew I shouldn't tell Ruby of the state Brax was in, but in some ways it seems like the right thing to do. Charlie is her mum. She should know what's going on. I suspected that Brax had a thing for Charlie as soon as he kept asking about her, but he was never open about it. He kept keeping it to himself. I decided to give Ruby a call. The worst thing she could do was scream and yell at her mum. Surely she wouldn't tell anyone...

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>I can't believe what Casey just told me. Ew, no. No way. Charlie was not with Brax tonight. Just because Casey and I saw them slipping out together didn't mean they were doing anything in particular. They were probably completely innocent, and all they did was talk. Charlie was probably just being her usual self, needing to go outside for fresh air all the time. Besides, I knew how much her job meant to her. She has worked ever so hard to get herself to this point, and I knew she wouldn't throw it all away just for a man, let alone Brax. Anyways, I think she would've figured out how awkward it would be with her going out with my boyfriend's brother. No, no, no, this couldn't be true. I wanted to know so badly, but I couldn't bring myself to ask Charlie. I texted Casey saying how this could be a coincidence. "What are the odds?" was his reply. Okay, maybe he did have a point.

I went into the living room to where Charlie was lying on the couch, watching TV. I grabbed the remote from the table in front and turned the TV off. As I expected, Charlie turned and glared at me.  
>"What was that for?" she demanded.<br>"I just want you to be honest with me okay?"  
>"When am I not?" she said satisfyingly.<br>"Tonight. What happened?"  
>"I was at the barbecue with you."<br>"No, I saw you and Brax going outside."  
>"Yeah, for some fresh air."<br>"Oh really? Then how come both you and him came home in the same messy state."  
>"I have no idea? A coincidence maybe?"<br>"Yeah, of course, because both of you were obviously at the barbecue all night tonight weren't you?" I said sarcastically.  
>"Ruby, please, just drop it."<br>"You don't get it do you?"  
>"Get what?"<br>"Everything you're wasting for Brax."  
>"Rubes, Brax and I aren't together. Please, just understand that. I couldn't be any clearer."<br>"Yeah, fine, whatever. I'm going to sleep now. Night Charlie."  
>I walked to my room, knowing she had been lying to me. I just don't understand why. I'm her freaking daughter.<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>My phone rang and I looked at the caller ID. It was Charlie. I couldn't pick it up because both Casey and Heath were in the same room as me. If it wasn't raining so heavily, I would've gone outside.  
>"Aren't you going to get that?" Heath asked.<br>"Nope," I replied.  
>"Okay, then..."<br>He looked down at his sandwich strangely and took a bite. I knew how suspicious I was being, but this couldn't get out. I then received a text. One voice message. I decided to wait until the other two had gone to bed until I listened to it.  
>"Being quite antisocial aren't you?" Casey said.<br>"No, I just don't feel like picking up my phone at the moment."  
>"Sure sure."<br>What was with this family? Why was everyone being so nosy? It's not like I questioned Casey what he did tonight, same with Heath. Well actually, more like who Heath did...

Finally my brothers decided to call it a night. I double checked to see if their bedroom doors were shut completely until I called Charlie back. I listened to her voice message first.  
><em>"Brax, I'm sorry for calling so late. Ruby forced me sit down with her to have a conversation about what happened tonight. She started interrogating me, and bombarded me with questions. Before you ask me, no, I didn't tell her anything. Although she knew that you had make up sprawled everywhere? Did Casey see you before you got yourself cleaned up? Well, he probably did because it's not like Ruby saw you. Anyways, I'll get to my point. Tonight was fun, but that was it. It was just a one off and I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry, I can't do this again."<br>_No, she couldn't do this to me. Ruby must be getting into her ear. She seemed to be enjoying it tonight, even if she did mention how risky it was.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I was lying on my bed, facing the ceiling. I held my phone tightly in my hands; somewhat hoping that Brax would call back. Was he purposely ignoring me? I did kind of turn him away on the message I sent him... Ruby did have a point tonight though. I did have a good job, and I couldn't just throw it away. On the other side, what if Brax is the one? I don't get where his whole "reputation" was coming from. Once you got to know him, he was really nice. I didn't want to push him away. I decided to call him back.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>The TV was turned up too high so I didn't hear my phone ring at all. It was lying on my pillow in my room, and I hadn't even noticed until I was about to sleep. I had seven missed calls all from Charlie. What did she want? Was she trying to confuse me? First she said she didn't want me; now she won't stop calling me. I was getting awfully tired, so I thought it was best if I left this till tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

_As most of you probably know, Esther Anderson has been nominated for a Gold Logie. This is an amazing achievement for her, and she definitely deserves to win. Make sure you vote for her by either texting __"Esther" to 19952900 or calling 1902552904. Every vote counts so make sure you vote as many times as you can! Anyways, thank you for all the chapter reviews, and I hope you all enjoy reading this one (: xxxx_

**Chapter Seven **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I woke up the next morning and went for a surf. Charlie's phone calls had completely slipped out of my mind, as I fell straight asleep as soon as I got in bed. It wasn't until I saw her jogging along the beach while I was in the waves when I remembered. I wanted to call out her name, but by the time I had gotten back to the shore, she was long gone. Bianca, whom she was talking to before, was still there.  
>"Do you know where Charlie went?" I asked her.<br>"She said she went back home to get ready for work," replied Bianca.  
>"Oh, I'll give her a call then."<br>"A call..?"  
>Geez, that just had to slip out of my mouth didn't it!<br>"Uhhh... Yeah, she's got one of the boys inside..." I made up, and left before she could ask me anymore questions.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Once I returned home from my morning jog, I immediately went to check my phone. I looked down with disappointment. No messages, no missed calls. I swear I called Brax so many times last night. I guess we both considered it to be a one off then... I went to my room and got changed into my police uniform before heading to the station to start my shift.

Only ten minutes after I got into my office, Watson called for me.  
>"Charlie, there's a phone call for you," she said to me.<br>I took the phone off her, and was hoping it was nothing urgent. I was already too busy to begin with. Papers were piling up on my desk.  
>"Hello, Sergeant Buckton speaking. How may I help you?"<br>"Charlie, it's Brax," said the voice on the other end.  
>Immediately, I hung up. Why was he calling the station? Did it not even come across his mind that it would put us both at risk? If there was something urgent, he would've just told Watson.<br>Speaking of Watson, she turned to me and asked, "What did Darryl Braxton want this time? You two didn't talk for very long."  
>"Nothing, just forget he ever called okay?"<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I'm sorry, but the last time I checked, I'm almost positive that Charlie wanted to call me back? She didn't stop calling me last night, and now she hangs up on me? Okay, maybe calling her work wasn't exactly the smartest thing, but what if someone else picked her phone up and saw the caller ID? That would've been twice as bad. Charlie's been giving me mixed signals. First she wants me, and now she doesn't? I decided to go into the station myself to speak to her face to face.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>"Charlie, there's someone outside to see you," Watson said through the door to me.  
>Instead of asking her who it was, I just got up and opened the front door. Brax. Brax was the one there to see me.<br>"I really need to talk to you Serge," he said.  
>"I'm kind of busy at the moment, sorry," I replied.<br>All the other officers in the room looked at me funny. Usually I'd be open to any visitors.  
>"Look, this is really urgent okay?"<br>All my colleagues looked at me, as if they were saying "just see what he has to say."  
>I hesitated before telling Brax to come in, and made sure the door was shut completely before we said anything to each other.<p>

"What do you want Brax?" I demanded. "This is my workplace. You can't just come in here whenever you want. That goes the same with calling. I have a phone you know."  
>"I know, but what if someone else picked it up?"<br>"I have it right next to me."  
>"Well I don't know that do I?"<br>"Okay, whatever. Why are you here?" I said a little louder.  
>"I want us to talk."<br>"Talk about what?"  
>"About what happened last night."<br>I glared at him. "Are you kidding me? This is the worst possible place we could have this discussion. We may as well have it right in front of Colleen."  
>"I'll be quiet alright?"<br>"Fine. You're here now so we may as well talk."  
>"No need for the harsh tone, you were the one who kept calling me last night."<br>"Yeah, well you called me first."  
>Okay, he did have a point. I only wanted to talk to him because Casey and Ruby were so suspicious.<br>"Do you want to know why?"  
>Brax gave me an obvious look.<br>"Ruby and Casey are suspecting things. We can't go back to what we did last night. It just won't work, especially with you turning up here. My job means a lot to me; it runs in our family. My dad wouldn't want me throwing it away for some guy."  
>Brax looked hurt.<br>"Some guy? Is that what I am to you?"  
>I took a deep breath. "Yes Brax, what we had was nothing. It was just some fun and it'll never happen again." It was the hardest words I'd ever had to say. I looked down and took a long swallow before I could look at him again. He looked completely devastated.<br>"Why Charlie? I know you enjoyed it as much as I did. Don't throw what we had away."  
>"We didn't have anything," I insisted.<br>"Yes we did. I saw how much you were smiling. What do you want me to do Charlie?"  
>"I told you, nothing. It doesn't matter anymore. You're a leader of the River Boys. I'm a cop. We're at completely different ends of society. It just wouldn't work. Please Brax, just leave."<br>He looked so upset but knew it was best to leave. Once I knew he was out of the station, I sat against the door and bawled my eyes out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Society. People. Opinions. Three things that are the only reasons which are keeping Charlie and I apart. Everything always has to be judged by the human eye, meaning we can never be ourselves. People should have the right to do what they want without everyone criticising them, but no. Charlie doesn't think so. All she seems to care about is her job. Yeah, I get it that she needs her job. She's worked ever so hard to get there, but she needs a social life as well. I'm pretty sure we would've been perfectly fine if Ruby just left her alone. It shouldn't matter about our backgrounds. Obviously Charlie and I are completely different people, but our differences should balance each other out, meaning we should at the very least get a chance together. She doesn't know me. In fact, nobody does. There's just the "reputation" the boys have which everyone just assumes that we like to get ourselves into trouble. Charlie was one of the few people who could see through that. She was one of the few people who had given me a chance, but now that's completely wiped off thanks to Ruby. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but Ruby's literally a hypocrite. She's dating Casey who is my brother, meaning he is also one of the boys.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Thankfully nobody came into my office after Brax left. I had time to take all my emotions out. I cried for quite awhile. All I wanted was to know what Brax thought of me. Why couldn't we try and work it out? Well, fat chance now seeing as I've pretty much shut him off completely. I was so tempted to call him, telling him that maybe somehow we could work it out, but I kept hesitating when I dialled the last digit of his number.

Brax's P.O,V.  
><span>There was a little bit inside of me that thought Charlie might call.  
>"Don't sit on the couch moping about while staring at your phone when the waves are out mate."<br>I looked up. Of course Heath would be the one watching me.  
>"Leave me alone Heath," I said firmly.<br>"Calm down bro. Besides, you're usually the one who's always out on the waves."  
>"Yeah, not this time so please, leave me alone."<br>"Well at least tell me what's troubling you?"  
>"Since when have you been the expert on giving advice?"<br>"Okay, okay. There's no need to have a go at me, gosh."  
>"Take off okay?"<br>Heath didn't reply. He just walked outside and slammed the door behind him.

Surfing. Eating. Drinking. Parties. I thought about it, and that's pretty much what the River Boys do all day. Within that, the cops keep showing up. I didn't want myself getting into anymore trouble. Charlie wouldn't approve of it even more. Maybe if I just kept my head down, like what I tell Casey, I might actually get a chance with Charlie. She can't take me seriously, that's why. I thought she would've now that I'm the boss of Angelo's..? Apparently not though...

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Once I got home, Brax was standing outside my door.  
>"What do you want? I already told you to leave me alone," I said to him without looking him in the eye. I just couldn't or else I would burst into tears.<br>"I know you did," he replied.  
>"Then why are you here? Leah, VJ or Ruby could be home."<br>"They aren't I checked before."  
>"Fine, but tell me why you're here when I've told you many times that we can't be together?"<br>"That's your mouth talking, not your heart. I know part of you wants me to go away, but the other part doesn't."  
>I started to tear up right in front of him. What he was saying was so true.<br>Brax continued, "I know we both have mutual feelings, especially what happened the other night. Ruby's the one getting into your ear; we both know that. It shouldn't even matter okay? She's dating Casey, and all of us seem to be fine with that."  
>I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Tears came out instead. Brax wandered over to me and put his arm around me.<br>"What's wrong Charlie?" he asked me.  
>He does have sympathy for people, unlike what everyone else thinks. He is really genuine once you get to know him without judging him or the boys first.<br>"Can we please go inside? I don't want anyone overhearing us," I said.  
>"Yeah, sure."<p>

Brax and I snuggled up onto the couch together.  
>"Now can you please tell me what's up?" Brax asked politely.<br>I started playing with my fingers before I spoke. I didn't know how to share my opinions to him without making them sound harsh.  
>"Promise me you won't get angry if I really tell you how I feel?"<br>"Yeah, I promise. I just want you to be honest with me."  
>"Brax, I really like you." <em>There, I said it,<em> I thought to myself.  
>"I really like you too Charlie," he replied.<br>"I haven't finished yet. I would jump to the opportunity to go out with you, but it just won't work."  
>"What? Because I'm a River Boy and you're a cop?"<br>"Yes, that's exactly why."  
>"Charlie, if nobody in the town judged you, would you go out with me?"<br>"Yes, of course!"  
>"See, you shouldn't let people's opinions get in the way of love. What if we're meant to be?"<br>"There's also the question, what if it will just be a fling?"  
>"This is why you have to take risks Charlie. Can we please at least give it a go? What's the worst that can happen?"<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Smartest question to ask her... I thought to myself sarcastically. Now she actually will think about the worst case scenario. Charlie sighed before speaking.  
>"You are right. What is the worst that can happen? I want to give it a go, but what will everyone think?"<br>"Charlie, that is always the question you ask me! What do you want me to do so that you'll want to try this out?"  
>"I don't know Brax. Being a police has always been a dream job, and the River Boys are your family."<br>I took a deep breath before I said this.  
>"What if I walk out on the boys?" <p>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine **

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Walk out of the boys? Is that what I heard Brax say? No, he couldn't do that.  
>"Brax, they're your family. You can't leave the boys to be with me," I told him.<br>"I'm not leaving them. I just wouldn't hang around them so much," he said.  
>"But still. It's just like Heath leaving you. It won't work because you're his brother. The River Boys are practically your brothers. Are you boys suppose to stick with each other through thick and thin?"<br>"Yeah, I still will, I just won't be with them all the time. This means they'll be less police visits for me haha."  
>I looked at him with disappointment.<br>"What? Are you not happy with that? I thought you didn't want me near the police station?" he said jokingly.  
>"Well... It will mean I'll see you less..."<br>"See, so we should go out!"  
>"But what difference will it make? Nobody will have realised you've left the boys until ages away. Besides, they'll still probably look at you the same way."<br>"So? They'll know when I don't come turning up at the station."  
>"What about Heath?" I asked.<br>"What about Heath?" he repeated.  
>"Err... Last time I checked, you're always there bailing him out," I reminded him.<br>"Yeah, but it's not my fault he's constantly there."  
>"You'll still be around though."<br>"Why does it even matter Charlie?" he exclaimed. "If I leave the boys, what they get up to will have nothing to do with me."  
>"But knowing Heath, he'll come running back to you right?"<br>"I don't know Charlie. I don't know what goes through his mind. I just know he makes the most idiotic choices."  
>"Yeah, we figured that bit out awhile ago."<br>"So what do you say Charlie? Can we give this a go?"  
>"Would it be okay if you let me have a think about it?"<br>"Yeah, sure. Just give me a call when you've made up your mind," Brax said.

I couldn't think straight for the rest of the afternoon. Part of me was saying _"Yes Charlie, give it a go. What's the worst that can happen?" _The other part of me was saying _"No Charlie. This will still affect your job. Once a River Boy, always a River Boy." _Firstly, my main worry was Ruby. How would she react if she found out I was dating her boyfriend's brother? She would completely freak out, not to mention tell everyone around her. I didn't want anyone else to know. Either way, I don't think Leah would want Brax inside this house. I know she doesn't think much of him, especially after the many surfing incidents she thought VJ had with the River Boys. As much as everyone said it wasn't their fault, Leah still hated being around the boys, especially Brax.

Leah returned home from work, just in time to make dinner. She dropped her handbag on the dining table, in the same room as where I was lying down on the couch. I noticed that she was standing still for quite awhile... I looked up at her and that's when she started talking to me.  
>"Are you okay Charlie?" she asked.<br>"Yeah, yeah, I am," I answered.  
>"Are you sure?"<br>"Yeah," I assured her.  
>"Well it's just that you're never lying down doing nothing. You're usually a pretty active woman Charlie."<br>"I've just had a tiring day, that's all."  
>"Charlie... You had a three hour shift at work. I didn't see you at the diner once, nor down at the beach."<br>"I stopped at Angelo's instead and didn't have my usual run... I went on a different route instead..."  
>"Really Charlie? I still would've seen you on the beach either way. I can tell there is something troubling you. Do you want to talk about it?"<br>"No Leah, I'm fine thanks."  
>"Alright... If you say so..."<br>She didn't seem convinced at all, but at least she left and went to cook; thank goodness for that.

Heath's P.O.V.  
><span>As soon as I got back from catching some waves and having a few beers with the boys, Brax was lounging around on the couch again. The only times he ever did this was when things weren't going well between him and Tegan. _Hang on a minute; he couldn't be back with Tegan could he?_ I asked myself. I walked along the hallway of our house to see where Casey was. Like always, he had his bedroom door shut.  
>"Casey, can I come in?" I asked.<br>"What do you want Heath?" Casey asked through the door.  
>"Just let me come in would you? How much privacy can a school boy need?" I joked.<br>Obviously, he didn't take my comment as a joke and thought I was being serious. He opened the door, looked at me, told me to shut up and then slammed the door in my face.  
>"Calm down bro! I actually need to talk to you," I yelled at him.<br>"Fine, but make it quick," he said angrily and let me into his room.

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>It really irritated me how Heath interrupted me. I never understand why he needs to say something to me. We can never have a proper conversation without either yelling our heads off at each other, or needing Brax to tell Heath to back off.

"So?" I said to Heath.  
>He just kept staring around my room, as if I was hiding anything suspicious.<br>I shouted his name, "Heath!"  
>For once he actually heard me.<br>"Yeah?"  
>Oh god no. How short could his memory possibly be? From what I can recall, he was the one who came knocking on my door.<br>"You wanted to talk to me remember?" I reminded him.  
>"Oh yeah, that's right. What's up with your brother?"<br>"How should I know?"  
>"Well he tells you everything, doesn't he? You're the precious little brother."<br>I glared at Heath. It's his fault Brax doesn't tell him much for being such a douche. Besides, there was no way I would tell him about how Charlie and Brax looked on the night I saw them. I did have my suspicions, but Heath would definitely be the last person I'd tell anything about.  
>"Ask him yourself if you really want to know, and please, don't interrupt me. Can you go now? Please?"<br>"Fine," he said and slammed the door.  
>Oh, how typical.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten **

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I dialled Brax's number the next morning. Fortunately, he immediately picked up.  
>"Hey, I was hoping it would be you," he greeted.<br>"Haha sorry about taking so long to call you back. I had a good long think about it and I think we should give it a go, but I don't want to be in the public eye if you know what I mean?"  
>"Ah what?" he asked.<br>Obviously I hadn't explained myself clearly enough.  
>"Well, I don't want you to leave the boys..." I said slowly.<br>"But you said we can go out?"  
>"Yeah, but not in the public eye. I was thinking that maybe we could just keep this between us?"<br>"So we can't go out on proper dates or anything?"  
>"Well we can have those cute romantic meals at each other's houses."<br>"But what if Casey and Heath are home? Same with Leah, VJ and Ruby at yours?"  
>"Well we'll have to work around them won't we?"<br>"How about we take advantage of the motel room I always rent out?"  
>"Oh yes! That will be great! Are you sure you're okay with this?"<br>"Eh... Well it kinda sucks how I won't be able to show off the sexy woman I'm constantly with, but this will be heaps better than not being with you at all."  
>"Haha aww, you're too cute. Are you free?"<br>"Right now? Err... I am, except Casey and Heath are taking over the house. Casey has Xavier and Dex over, and Heath is being his lazy self. What about yours?"  
>"Nobody's home... Exactly why I asked," I replied cheekily.<br>"So um, is that an invite?" he kidded.  
>"Nah, definitely not," I joked.<br>"Alright then, I'll be over in five!"

While I was watching TV in the lounge, I heard the strangest noises. At first I thought it was just the TV, except it kept happening continuously. Finally I got off the couch to see what it was. As soon as I opened the door, someone bulldozed at me unintentionally. Whoever it was put his arms around me immediately, picked me up and swung me around. I was finally placed back onto the ground and looked up. I gave him a wee punch.  
>"Are you trying to scare me to death Brax!" I exclaimed.<br>"Haha no! I'm sorry if I did!" he said.  
>"Of course you did! What was with the weird noises! They kept giving me a huge fright!"<br>"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm too clumsy! I kept knocking against VJ's surfboard and had trouble putting it against the wall without it falling over again and again..."  
>"Haha aww! At least I know you're here now!"<br>Brax picked me up again and carried me into the lounge. He leaned into me and ran his fingers through my hair.  
>"You're beautiful," he whispered into my ear and began kissing me on the lips. I leaned into him and started kissing him continuously. We stopped for a moment when he pulled his shirt off. Oh damn... His body... Boy am I glad I decided to do this. His skin rubbed against me as we began kissing again.<p>

Suddenly, we heard a knock at the door. I looked at Brax in shock.  
>"Charlie, are you home?" It was Ruby asking.<br>"What do I do!" I whispered to Brax quickly.  
>"Answer her!" he said.<br>"But what if she suspects something!"  
>"Just answer her! I know what I'm doing!"<br>"Uh... Is that you Rubes?" I said without even thinking. Now she will suspect something. What mother wouldn't be able to identify their own daughter's voice?  
>"Um yeah..." She replied. "Can you please open the door for me?"<br>"Do you not have your keys?" I asked.  
>Brax literally wacked his hand against his forehead.<br>"What!" I whispered loudly.  
>"What if she does have her keys? You'll give her the idea of actually opening the door and finding us here!"<br>"Oh sorry!"  
>"Rubes, hang on a sec," I said loudly.<br>"Make it quick please, April, Indi and Sasha are waiting for me."  
>"Go Brax!" I pushed him lightly.<br>"How?"  
>"Out the door!"<br>"Ruby's right there, and there's no way I'm going out the window."  
>"Okay fine, if you insist. Just hide in the bathroom, quick!"<br>I literally pushed him into the room and quickly shut the door.  
>"Charlie?" Ruby yelled.<br>"I'm coming!" I said and raced to open the door.  
>"What took you so long?"<br>"I was in the toilet..." I fibbed.  
>"Oh okay..."<br>"What is it you wanted?"  
>"My hair straightener," answered Ruby.<br>"Who needs it?"  
>"April. Her one broke."<br>She made her way towards the bathroom.  
>Uh oh. Brax was in there, there was no way she could go in.<br>"Err Rubes, wait." I told her.  
>She turned around and faced me.<br>"Why? What's up?"  
>"Well I was just in there and it's in a bit of a mess. I could get it for you?"<br>"Oh um, I could stick around and help you clean it?"  
>"I thought you said April, Sasha and Indi were waiting for you?"<br>"They are, but I'm sure they won't mind."  
>"Oh no, it's fine. I don't want to keep them waiting. I'll just get the straightener for you."<br>This was the closest I'd ever been. I slipped into the bathroom, hoping Ruby was still in the lounge.  
>"Is she gone?" Brax mouthed to me.<br>I shook my head in reply.  
>"Tell her I don't have all day!"<br>"I'm just getting her straightener for her."  
>"Charlie, have you found it yet?" Ruby called to me.<br>"Uh... Where is it?"  
>"In the second draw under the sink. I can come in and help you if you want?"<br>Fortunately I found it. "No, no, it's alright. I've got it," I said as I closed the bathroom door behind me when I went out.  
>"Thank you! If the bathroom isn't clean by the time I'm back, I'll help you clean it up," Ruby shouted as she walked out the door.<p>

As soon as it was clear that Ruby had left the property, Brax came out of the bathroom.  
>"This was our first time and it was way too close," he said.<br>"I know. I'm sorry. I thought she would be out all day."  
>"Nah, you don't need to be sorry. It's not your fault she came. Besides, this is her house so she should be allowed yeah?"<br>"True, but I thought we would have the house to ourselves for awhile."  
>"Oh well... I guess I should take off Charlie."<br>"Aww what? Already?"  
>"Yeah, sorry. Heath texted me in the bathroom asking me if I wanted to go for a surf with the boys."<br>"Can't you make up an excuse?"  
>"Nah, sorry. He'll suspect something," said Brax and kissed me one last time before leaving. <p>


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven **

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>After Brax left, I went straight into my room. The afternoon had been perfect, but I think when Ruby came in, that's when it hit Brax that this could be dangerous. I wanted to keep going like this, but lying to my family and friends didn't help. Also, this was Leah's house. What would she think if she knew I was bringing Brax into the house? My thoughts were interrupted when Leah came knocking on my door.  
>"I didn't know VJ wore such big clothes?" she said.<br>I looked up, and there she was, holding Brax's t-shirt. How could he have forgotten to take it home? It's like he's purposely leaving his belongings so that people would find out, or he might not have noticed because he usually walks around town half naked. I tried to hide the panic in my face and voice.  
>"Uh... Aren't you the one who buys clothes for him?" I asked, pretending I didn't know anything about the shirt.<br>"Yeah, that's exactly why I'm telling you. Do you know who this belongs to?"  
>"No," I lied.<br>"Well did anybody come in while I was at work? You were the only one home this time."  
>"I don't know, sorry."<br>"Fine. Once you feel like talking, I'll be here, but please get rid of this before VJ gets home," she said to me firmly.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I was surprised to see Charlie on my doorstep. Heath and Casey were both facing the door and raised an eyebrow when they saw that she wasn't in her police uniform.  
>"Mr. Braxton, can I have a talk with you outside please?" Charlie said, trying to sound professional.<br>"Yeah, sure," I replied.  
>I could hear Heath and Casey laughing in the background.<br>"Wanting to talk to your brother is quite amusing boys?" Charlie said to my brothers.  
>"Uh... Well it's hilarious how you're trying to act like you have power over him, even when you're not on your shift Buckton," Heath replied.<br>I shot him a dirty look. He knew better than to mess with me so he dropped it. I followed Charlie out of the house and into her car.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Double checking that Heath and Casey weren't being nosy and weren't trying to peek out of the windows to see what was going on, I pulled Brax's top out of my car.  
>"This," I said to him. "This was left on my couch and Leah found it."<br>His face turned bright red. "I'm so sorry Charlie, I didn't mean to. I completely forgot about it! What did she say when she found it?"  
>"Well she suspected that I'd invited some bloke in."<br>"Uh... You kinda did."  
>"No kidding. I'm sure she would've been pleased if I said <em>'Yeah, that's Brax's shirt. I invited him over and we made out on your couch.'<em>"  
>Brax raised an eyebrow at me. "You're kidding right?" he said.<br>"No, not at all," I said sarcastically. "Look Brax, what I'm trying to say is that you've got to be more careful. I'm surprised Ruby didn't find it when she came into the house."  
>"I will be, I promise. I'll double check that I've got everything before leaving."<br>"No you won't," I said.  
>He looked at me in utter surprise. "What do you mean? I thought you said you'd give this a go?"<br>"Not now. Ruby's got her trials coming up and she'll need the house in peace more than ever."  
>"Can't you come over to mine? You're here now."<br>"In case you've forgotten, Casey also has his trials."  
>"He can study with Ruby!"<br>I glared at him. "They both need to concentrate on their own. They wouldn't get very far studying together."  
>"How about the motel?"<br>"I completely forgot about that! Yeah, okay, but only the motel, ya here me?"  
>"That's better than nothing," he said.<br>"Let's go there now," I winked.  
>Brax climbed into my car and we drove off into the distance.<p>

Heath's P.O.V.  
><span>"What do you think is taking Brax so long?" I asked Casey.  
>"Why don't you go and see?" he answered.<br>And so I did. I opened the front door and peeked around the corner. Buckton's car was gone, and Brax seemed to be as well.  
>"Bloody pigs!" I yelled while I walked back inside.<br>Casey gave me a confused look. "What do you mean?" he asked.  
>"Looks like Buckton's taken him. Neither of the two can be seen."<br>"But Charlie wasn't in uniform? She can't just take him can she?"  
>"I don't know Case, I don't know what Brax gets up to half these days," I told him.<br>"But you and the boys always know what Brax is up to-," Casey began to say but stopped. His eyes widened and he began to talk again. "Please tell me he doesn't have any drugs on him?"  
>"Who knows?" I said.<br>"I'm going to find Ruby," he said and took off.

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>I was about to unlock the front door of Leah's house, until I heard someone panting straight behind me. I turned around to see Casey almost out of breath.  
>"Woah bro, calm down," I said to him. "Did you just complete a triathlon?" I joked.<br>"Haha, very funny," he replied sarcastically. "Do you know where Charlie went?"  
>"Well if you let me unlock the door, I can see if she's inside."<br>"Charlie! Are you home?" I shouted.  
>Nobody responded. I told Casey to wait in the doorway while I walked through the house to see if anyone else was home. As I thought, no one was.<br>"Come in Case," I said. "What's up? Why do you want Charlie?"  
>"She came over before, wanting to talk to Brax."<br>"About what?" I asked.  
>"I have no idea. One minute they were talking, and the next, well they were both gone."<br>"Maybe she needed to talk to him about a case she's working on?" I suggested.  
>"Yeah, you'd think..."<br>I was slightly confused. Did he know what was going on? "What do you mean?" I asked.  
>"Charlie wasn't in her uniform."<br>"Maybe she was about to go into the station? I can give her a call?"  
>"Yeah, good idea."<p>

Third Person  
><span>Charlie and Brax were lying on the motel room's bed. Charlie's phone was ringing on the bedside table, but neither of the two noticed. They were both leaning into each other, kissing passionately. Charlie was feeling all over Brax's body. She felt up his shirt, and took it off unintentionally. To square it up a bit, Brax pulled off Charlie's singlet. He felt up her back and slowly began to unbuckle her bra. He started to feel around her nipples and kissed her down her neck.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve **

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>I told Casey to stick around until Charlie came home. I knew I was old enough to stay home alone, but there was always a bit of me that got paranoid every time I heard a tiny sound. Leah and VJ were spending nights in the city more and more often with Miles which led to Ruby always having Casey over. Charlie didn't approve of it, but she knew Brax would kill Casey if he did anything to get Ruby into trouble.

It was way past midnight and Charlie still hadn't reached home yet. Casey insisted on me going to sleep and said he would wake me up once she got home, but I didn't want to hear it. I was getting worried. She had never stayed out this late before. I called the police station, but they told me Charlie didn't have the night shift.  
>"Didn't you say Charlie took Brax away?" I asked Casey.<br>"Yeah, and she was talking in her professional voice too. She called Brax, _'Mr Braxton.' _She only ever does that when she's on patrol. She wasn't even in her uniform," he answered.  
>"Where do you think she took him?"<br>"Into a strippers club?" he joked.  
>I shot him a dirty look and threw a pillow at his face. "This isn't funny!" I shrieked.<br>"Just calm down will you? They're both probably perfectly fine, and you're just overreacting," Casey said calmly.  
>"But we don't know that for sure!" I shouted.<br>"How about you just go to sleep? I promise you I'll wake you up when she gets back."  
>I pretended to close my eyes and fall asleep so that he would leave me alone. He stroked my hair and kissed me on the lips.<p>

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>A few hours later, Brax and I pulled up at the driveway.  
>"Sssshhhhhh! Be quiet," I whispered to Brax as we got out of the car.<br>I told him to come home with me, as Heath would probably still be up partying and I wanted him all to myself. Knowing Ruby, she would probably be asleep and Brax could easily climb out of the window the following morning before she'd wake up.

I opened the front door and told Brax to creep in quietly. It was dark so the only way we could make our way safely into my bedroom was to turn on the light. I flicked the light switch and screamed. I wasn't the only one. Casey and Ruby did as well and quickly tried to cover themselves up with their clothes.  
>"What on earth do you think you're doing?" I shouted.<br>At the same time, Casey yelled, "Bro, what the hell man? What are you doing with Charlie at this time of the night!"  
>There was no way out of this. All four of us had been caught.<br>"The two of you can get dressed and then we'll have a talk about this," I said.  
>"Can't we wait till tomorrow morning? It's so late and I'm so tired!" Ruby whined.<br>"Don't tell me that! You're the one who should be asleep!"  
>"Yeah, pretty rich hearing that from you."<br>"Ruby, don't talk to me like that," I warned her.

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>Once Casey and I had a shower, we sat at the dining table with Brax and Charlie.  
>I shot questions at Charlie. "What were you doing together? Why did you take you take Brax away, Charlie? Why are you home so late?"<br>"Okay, alright Rubes. We get it. We owe you an explanation, but it's not like you were completely innocent either."  
>"Charlie, Casey and I are old enough to look after ourselves. Neither of us would hurt each other in any way," I told her.<p>

"Ruby, I get that, but you're still young."  
>"I'm almost eighteen!"<br>"Yeah, almost. Not yet."  
>"Well I haven't done anything wrong. It was just an awkward encounter okay? Now you have to tell me what you were doing. It makes absolutely no sense to see you with Brax at this hour. You don't even have the night shift!" I exclaimed.<p>

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>"Brax, can I please talk to you for a second?" I asked him.  
>Ruby glared at me, as if she knew something was up. I ignored her and followed Brax into the kitchen.<br>"What are we going to say?" Brax asked.  
>"We're going to have to tell them. It'll be a lot safer if they're the only ones who will know."<br>"How do you know they won't tell anyone?"  
>"We've just got to trust them."<br>I could tell Brax wasn't so sure with that, but we went back to Casey and Ruby anyways.  
>"If we tell you, you've got to keep your mouth shuts alright? You can't bring this up in public, and you can tell anyone about it," Brax said.<br>"What about Heath?" Casey asked.  
>"Especially not Heath," Brax said firmly.<br>"Uh... Okay? Get to the point?" said Ruby.  
>"Brax and I, well uh... There's no simpler way to say this than uh... We're a couple," I said slowly.<br>Ruby and Casey's eyes widened.  
>"You're a couple!" Ruby repeated.<br>"Wait, let me get this straight," Casey said. "My brother is going out with my girlfriend's mum?"  
>Brax and I looked at each other. "Uh, yes to say the least," I replied.<br>"Oh wow. This is so messed up," Ruby said. "You're the one who's been telling me to study and concentrate on my work, yet you're going behind my back with Brax? This is so not right."  
>"Look Rubes, I know this looks bad-"<br>Ruby interrupted me. "Looks bad? Are you kidding me? That's an understatement!"  
>"I knew you'd be like this. This is why we didn't want to tell anyone," I explained.<br>"I'm your own daughter! Wait until everyone else finds out about this."  
>"Everyone else? Rubes, no way. You are not telling everyone."<br>"Why are you so worried about it? You seem to be fine doing it with Brax."  
>Ruby didn't even wait for me to respond. She dragged Casey into her room with her and slammed her bedroom door.<br>"Baby, she'll get over it," Brax said.  
>He put his arms around me and kissed my neck. I couldn't help but worry. I just kept staring at her door and her words kept repeating in my head. "<em>Wait until everyone else finds out about this." <em>  
>"What if she does tell people?" I asked Brax.<br>"She won't, I promise."  
>"How can you be so sure?"<br>"She's your daughter Charlie, she wouldn't do anything to put you at risk or hurt you."  
>"Yeah, well I hope you're right."<br>"When am I not?" he joked.  
>I couldn't help but smile. I gave him a light punch and kissed his forehead. He picked me up and I clinged onto him. He carried me into my room and closed the door behind us. <em><br>_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen **

Ruby waited until she was sure that Charlie and Brax had gone out before waking up. Casey had noticed that she kept peeking out the window to check if they were still in sight.  
>"Rubes, you can't keep doing this ya know?" He said.<br>"Do what?"  
>"Don't pretend like you don't know. You can't keep avoiding her. She's your mum. You'll have to speak to her eventually."<br>"Yeah, eventually."  
>"I'm serious. Face it Rubes, it's the least you can do. Remember when we first wanted to go out and Charlie wasn't so keen on the idea? Well this is pretty much the same. I know you have your reasons for not wanting Charlie to go out with Brax, but she does. She allowed us to give it a go and look where we're at now," Casey explained. "Couldn't you at least give them a chance?"<br>"Dude, the only reason you care about this is because Brax is your brother!" Ruby yelled.  
>"Yeah, well Charlie is your mother. You should care about her feelings!"<br>"I do! Maybe if she wasn't such a hypocrite, I wouldn't mind so much! Do you know how she first reacted when we first went out?" Ruby asked. "She kept reminding me about how many times your family and friends have been confronted by the police, thinking that it would put me off you. Now she's not only dating one of you, but it just so happens to be your brother who's the leader of the gang."  
>"Ruby, I get that you're angry-"<br>Ruby stopped Casey talking. "Do you? Do you really?" She demanded.  
>Casey sighed. "I'll tell you what. Call me when the Ruby I know is back. In the meantime, just cool off would you and think about your mum and all the things she's done for you?"<br>He stormed out of the house without waiting for an answer.

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>Soon after, I reached my house. I went straight to my room and lay on my bed. All I did was stare at the ceiling. I couldn't understand why Ruby wouldn't let her mum go out with Brax. If she knew him well enough, she would know that he would never ever hurt anyone he loves. He would do what Charlie wanted, as well as what was best for the both of them. That's why I understood why neither of the two wanted to tell anyone. They would both be in trouble. Charlie with her boss at the station, and Brax with the boys. Ruby, on the other hand, did not understand this. She was so use to being Charlie's only family member left, meaning that the two would always tell each other secrets. Even though Ruby wasn't always straight with her mum, Charlie always told her everything. It wasn't until now that Ruby called Charlie a _hypocrite_. Brax was my brother. Surely if she could date me, then she would be fine with Charlie dating Brax? For once, I didn't want to convince Ruby to be happy for Brax and Charlie. I wanted her to see what I saw from when we found out about this.

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>I heard someone coming home later that day. I called out Leah and VJ's name, but it was Charlie who responded. She told me she was home. _No kidding, I heard her. _She asked how my day went, obviously trying to pretend that everything between us was perfectly fine. She froze on the spot after dumping her keys on the dining table. I kept fidgeting on the couch, feeling a bit awkward because I knew she wanted to talk to me. I pretended to concentrate on the TV show, and laughed a bit too hard during all the "fake laughs" on sitcoms. She came over to me and tried to sit next to me on the couch. I was too quick for her, and stretched my legs out to cover the whole seat. She let out a huge sigh, hoping I would notice. I continued to ignore her. She got up and grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned the TV off. I tried to hide the annoyance in my face and began to read the book that was next to me.  
>"Ruby," Charlie said. I didn't answer her.<br>"Ruby," Charlie said a little louder. I remained quiet and acted as if I was really into my book.  
>"Ruby!" Charlie shouted as she walked over to me. She pulled the book out of my hands. Ignoring her, I got up and headed to my room. A few minutes later, I heard a knock at my door. Obviously it was Charlie as she was the only one room so I just stayed still. Eventually, she opened the door. I had completely forgotten that the only room which had a lock in this house was the bathroom, damn. Charlie sat next to me on my bed. I pulled my study guide off the bedside table and pretended to read it. Like before, she grabbed it off me again. I shot her a glare.<br>"Can we please talk?" she asked.  
>"You have a boyfriend to do that with don't you? Oh wait, all he wants from you is sex," I retorted.<br>I could see it in her eyes that she looked hurt. I didn't apologise after all the lies she's said to me.  
>"I'm serious Ruby, please?" she begged. I decided to give in or else she would keep pestering me. It would be nice to hear what she wanted to say.<br>"Fine. Speak before I decide to leave," I said sourly.  
>"Can you please give Brax and I a chance? Can you please not tell anyone either?" she asked.<br>I could tell that this meant a lot to her. I completely lost it and started bawling.  
>"Ruby? Ruby, what's wrong?" Charlie asked in a concerned voice.<br>"Nothing, just leave it. You won't get it," I said in between tears.  
>"No, I'm your mum and if something is bothering you, you should tell me."<br>I gave up. It wasn't worth treating my mum this way. "Promise me you'll let me finish before you start saying or doing anything? I asked.  
>"I promise," she replied. <p>


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen **

Ruby went on and on about who knows what for the first few minutes. Charlie could hardly understand her because she was talking ever so quickly, as well as sobbing at the same time.  
>"Slow down a little yeah?" Charlie asked.<br>Ruby started from the beginning. "I don't know Charlie, I'm so confused. I don't want you to go out with Brax. I just don't want you to get hurt. After everything that happened with Grant-"  
>Charlie flinched as she heard her daughter mention Grant's name. "Rubes, Brax is nothing like him," she told her.<br>"You can't be too sure. Brax has the whole tough boy reputation going on. Maybe he is really a cow and is just using you? I'm not saying he is; I'm just saying it's a possibility. He wouldn't have the reputation if he wasn't really bad. Don't you understand that this is the reason why everyone keeps their distance away from him and the boys?"  
>"I promise you he's not using me. That's just a stereotype."<br>"Yeah, that's what you think."  
>"Fine, how many evil stepmothers do you know?" Charlie asked.<br>Ruby had no answer.  
>"See, exactly. It's just a stereotype. Once you get to know Brax, he's really nice and caring."<br>"Charlie, I'm just worried about you. I don't want to have to see you ever get hurt," Ruby cried.  
>"I'll be okay Ruby. Don't worry about me."<br>"How can I not worry? Joining the police force got me worried ages ago, now you're in a SECRET relationship with Brax!" Ruby explained.  
>"I'll be okay. As long as you or Casey doesn't tell anyone about this, we'll all be sweet."<br>"I promise I won't."  
>"That's my girl," Charlie said and leaned over to give Ruby a cuddle.<br>"And Charlie?" Ruby said quietly.  
>"Yeah?"<br>"I'm so sorry for what I've said to you. I didn't mean to hurt you."  
>"Aww, it's okay Rubes; you were only looking out for me."<br>Ruby cleaned up her face with the tissues lying in front of her. She was glad that her feelings and emotions had been shared with her mum, so that they were both on the same page.

Brax opened the door of his house and saw Ruby on the doorstep. "Casey isn't home," he said immediately.  
>"I'm not here to see him, I'm here to see you," Ruby replied.<br>Brax was awfully surprised to hear this. The last time he checked, they weren't exactly on good terms. Well, basically Ruby was upset with him for going out with Charlie, who Ruby took it all out on. This led to him thinking that she was mad at him as well. Hoping she wouldn't tear his head off, Brax invited her in.  
>"Do you want anything? A drink maybe?" Brax offered, trying to be polite.<br>"Uh... No thank you," Ruby replied.  
>"So what is it that you want?" He asked.<br>"I'm going to make it quick. I just explained to Charlie my feelings about you two being together. Okay, I'll admit it that I wasn't so comfortable with the idea, but I'm a bit more relaxed now. I don't mind that you two are going out, but please, don't ever hurt her. I don't want to see her having to go through pain," explained Ruby.  
>"Ruby, I promise you, I will never hurt her. She's extremely special to me, and I will always keep her safe," Brax assured her.<br>"And one more thing. Please don't use her for sex. She's been through enough and she doesn't need to go through anymore relationship downers."  
>"I promise I'm not using her. I would never."<br>"If you hurt her, I'll legit hunt you down, no jokes," Ruby warned.  
>"I won't, trust me."<br>Ruby saw Brax's eyes starting to water. She could tell that he genuinely loved Charlie. Being glad that they had sorted it out, Ruby left to go out for a surf.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I invited Brax over for the night as I had the house all to myself. Once I opened the door, he gave me a kiss.  
>"So apparently Ruby's staying over at my place tonight," Brax said to me with a wink.<br>"What?" I asked him. "I thought she was coming back home later tonight," I said.  
>"Oh um, she was, but then I told her she's more than welcome to stay the night."<br>"Oh, nice thought babe."  
>"I hope you don't mind?"<br>"Nah, not at all! That means I get to spend a longer time with you!" I said excitedly.  
>"I'm glad we're on the same boat," he said cheekily.<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I picked Charlie off the ground and carried her into her room. I rubbed her smooth and soft skin, while we kissed. She slipped her tongue into my mouth and I grinned like an idiot. I leaned backwards and fell onto her bed, with her falling on top of me. We kept rubbing against each other, and now I had my tongue in her mouth. Charlie was constantly moving her hands up and down my back. I let go of her, and threw my shirt onto the ground.  
>"Make sure you pick that up when you leave," she joked.<br>I nodded to her just so she knew I had heard her, and we resumed kissing. She took her singlet off, and well, wasn't her body perfect? She had the most amazing tan. Her legs were in between mine and we started kissing each other even more. I kept feeling around her bra strap. I slid my hands under her bra and began to feel all around her breasts. It wasn't as fun when she had her bra on, so I took it off her and threw it onto the ground, next to my shirt. I kissed her up and down her neck, while she cuddled me even tighter.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Eventually, Brax and I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. He started playing with my hair, while I rubbed the front of his body.  
>"Ruby came and saw me today ya know?" Brax said.<br>"What?" I asked. I was slightly confused; I thought she would only go over to the Braxton's house to see Casey.  
>"Yeah, that was exactly my reaction when I saw her outside the house. She wanted to talk to me about us."<br>"About us?" I repeated.  
>"Yeah, she wanted to make sure that I wouldn't hurt you. You know I wouldn't right?"<br>"I do, and I would never hurt you either. She vented all her feelings to me earlier this morning too. She said she didn't want to see me get hurt, but I assured her that you wouldn't."  
>"Aww, that's so cute. She's looking out for you, baby."<br>"Yeah, I know that now."  
>Brax pulled my hand to him gently. "I love you Charlie, don't ever forget that," he said.<br>I felt him put something into my hand. Placed in my hand was a beautiful silver necklace. The letter _C _was hanging down from the chain.  
>"That is so beautiful Brax!" I exclaimed. "You really didn't have to! Thank you so so so much!"<br>"I'm glad you like it," he smiled.  
>"I love it! I love you!" I said, before kissing him again.<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you so much to everyone who has read, subscribed and reviewed this story. If it wasn't for all of you, I wouldn't be writing this story. I love hearing your opinions about it, and it has really helped me continue on with writing. From this chapter onwards, a new storyline will kind of develop which will link back to Charlie and Brax. The storyline will kind of focus at Ruby and Casey, but it will all make sense once the storyline has come to an end. I hope you all enjoy reading this. Please don't forget to review this chapter (: xxx_

**Chapter Fifteen **

**-Two Months Later- **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I hadn't been so involved with Casey since Charlie came into my life. I didn't really question him about where he went and what he did, unlike what I use to do. He kept saying he was with Ruby, so obviously I was fine with it. Charlie and my relationship started off a little bumpy, but it's now sailing smoothly. So far, Ruby and Casey have kept their promises, and it's only us who know about Charlie and me. Lately, Leah and VJ have been spending their time with Miles in the city, so it was practically just Charlie and I in the house. Ruby and Casey always spent their time together back at my place. Heath was constantly going to and from the coast with the boys.

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>_Tick, tock, tick, tock, _went the clock. I was waiting for it to hit three o'clock so that I could get out of school and enjoy the waves. I thought I heard the teacher calling my name, but as soon as I looked up, he was continuing on with what he was saying before. I hated it at school. I always got the worst marks in the class, and as much as the teachers tried to help me, I still didn't understand anything. The only reason I was in here was because of Brax.  
>"Just keep your head down and study," he always said to me.<br>It sounded awfully fake coming from him. He obviously did well in school. I heard the teacher call on me again. I looked up, and he was looking directly at me.  
>"Yeah?" I said. Like always, the class laughed.<br>"What's the answer?" he asked, pointing at the question on the board.  
>The board read, <em>If (56ab*76bc+9+abc) + 12bc = (64c-132+69a), find a, b and c.<br>_Are you kidding me? Since when did letters get involved with maths? Maths was only suppose to have numbers with one plus one and stuff. How smart does he think I am? This is a Dex levelled question, not me.  
>"Casey, the answer?" the teacher repeated.<br>"I have no idea," I answered.  
>"Well maybe you should've been paying attention instead of daydreaming."<br>"Well maybe you shouldn't waste time asking me questions when April there has had her hand up the whole time," I retorted.  
>"Don't speak to me like that," the teacher demanded.<br>_Who the heck did he think he was_, I thought. "It's a free world, I can do and say whatever I want."  
>"Stop disrupting the class. You can either stay here or visit Mrs Palmer."<br>I had had enough of this class. I shook the desk as I got up, and stormed out of the class. Instead of visiting Mrs Palmer, I dropped my bag off at home and grabbed my surfboard.

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>I waited outside Casey's locker afterschool. Ten minutes had already passed, and he still wasn't out of class. I went to his classroom, and April was the only one there.  
>"Hey Rubes, what's up?" she greeted.<br>"Hey April! Uh... Nothing really... Have you seen Case around?" I asked.  
>"Um no, sorry. Not since earlier in the afternoon," she answered.<br>"Earlier in the afternoon? I thought he was in your class?"  
>"He is, but he went to the principal's office."<br>_Was she serious? What had Casey done this time?_ "What happened?" I asked.  
>"He had a go at the teacher," she told me.<br>"What the heck? Was that it? Talk about overreacting..."  
>"No Ruby, he wasn't sent to it. The teacher gave him the option of staying or leaving."<br>"Oh... Well surely Mrs Palmer didn't keep him for that long... I'll go and give him a call. Thanks April."

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>Once I got out of the water, my phone was ringing. "Rubes?" I said.  
>"Hey Case, where are you? We were suppose to meet up afterschool."<br>"Oh yeah... Um, sorry about that. We can catch up now if you'd like?"  
>"Yeah, of course. How about the diner in five?"<br>"Yup, see ya babe."  
>Hopefully she didn't know about what happened earlier. I didn't want her worried or anything.<p>

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>Casey was already at the diner when I arrived. I ordered before pulling up the chair opposite him.  
>"So how was school?" I asked.<br>"Eh... Same old, same old, ya know?" he replied.  
>"Oh really? So you always get sent to Mrs Palmer's office?"<br>He let out a huge sigh. "Who told you?" he asked without denying anything.  
>"It doesn't matter who told me," I said.<br>"Oh god, it was April wasn't it? Ugh."  
>"What happened?" I asked, hoping he would be straight with me.<br>"I was just having a bad day okay? Let's forget this ever happened."  
>"Yeah, fine, whatever, but make sure you let me know if this happens again," I told him.<br>"It won't, trust me."  
>"Good, now can we get out of here? It's getting awfully stuffy."<br>"Well I just came out of the surf..."  
>"No, what I meant was, let's get out of Summer Bay," I said.<br>"Are you serious? What about school Ruby? There's family too."  
>"School? Are you serious? I wasn't the one acting up today."<br>Casey shot me a dirty look. I apologised. "Besides, this will give us space from everyone else, and it'll let us cool off," I continued.  
>"What are we going to tell Brax and Charlie? Brax would kill me for wagging. You know what he says about school."<br>"Who says they have to know?" I said cheekily.  
>"But the school will get into contact with them?"<br>"Fine, we'll see what they say, but either way, we're going."

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I was sitting at the dining table, waiting for Casey to come home. I had just received a call from the principal, saying he didn't go to her office when he should've. I asked what happened, but all she said was I had to hear it from him. I called his phone, but he didn't pick up. I called Ruby, and neither did she. Finally, I saw his shadows reflecting off the windows.  
>"Sit down here Case," I called to him as soon as he came inside.<br>"Ugh, what?" he said grumpily.  
>"Don't sound so annoyed. I got a call from your school today. Why did you misbehave?"<br>"I wasn't have a good day."  
>"It still doesn't mean you have to take it out on your teacher. Did everything I say to you about concentrating at school go in one ear and out the other?"<br>"I'm sorry man, it won't happen again."  
>I glared at him. "It better not."<br>"Um Brax?" he said.  
>"What is it?"<br>"Can Ruby and I go up the coast from Wednesday to Friday next week?"  
>Was he being serious? After what I just said to him, he now wants to go on a holiday with his girlfriend. "Absolutely not," I told him.<br>"Why not?"  
>"There's school Casey. Besides, Charlie wouldn't want Ruby going either."<br>"Then what about all the times you've practically forced me to ditch school for a few days to clear my head huh? Well I guess everything's changed because Charlie wouldn't approve aye?" he said angrily and immediately left the house.  
><em><br>_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen **

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>Brax was being so unfair. I hadn't done anything wrong, and he wouldn't let me go on a break. Four days. Four days, that was all I was asking for. Besides, I would only miss two days of school because Ruby and I had planned to leave the bay on Friday and return on Monday. I was off to see Ruby, wanting to know if she was allowed to go.

**-One hour earlier- **

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>Charlie was already home by the time I got back. Piles of paper from the police station were spread all over the table. She sat there in deep concentration, so I made her a coffee. Like all parents, she thought something was up. I told her there was nothing to worry about and I was just being a good daughter. I kept procrastinating about asking her if Casey and I could leave for a few days or not as my chances weren't very high with being able to go. I noticed the sink was full of dirty dishes. Seeing how busy Charlie was, I decided to clean them for her. While I was doing so, she came into the kitchen.  
>"Are you sure something isn't up?" she asked me.<br>"No..." I denied. "Can't a girl do the dishes when she has time on her hands?"  
>"Yeah, of course, but it's not something you would usually do... So what is it?"<br>Charlie knew me too well. I had to ask her now.  
>"Can Casey and I please go up the coast on Friday? We'll be back on Monday."<br>"How about school? This is your HSC year."  
>"I know, but this will give me some space to clear my head. Once I get back, I'll be fully focused. Please Charlie!" I begged.<br>"Yes, okay, but on one condition. Brax has to let Casey go too, and you both have to look out for each other."  
>I ran up to her and gave her the biggest hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I shouted.<p>

**-Present Time- **

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>"Hey Case, come in," I said. "Did you ask Brax?"  
>"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk about. He's not letting me go. He thinks I'll miss out on too much school."<br>"Are you serious? Ugh, and that's coming from him."  
>"I know, that's what I've been saying. I'm assuming you're allowed to go?"<br>"Yeah..." I answered. "But only if you're allowed to go as well," I added.  
>"Maybe you could get Charlie to talk him into it?"<br>"Well that could go both ways. Either you'd be able to go in the end, or neither of us will be able to go. He might tell Charlie how important school is and then she'll reconsider," I explained.  
>"I'll go home and ask Brax again," Casey said.<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>As soon as Casey walked into the house, he started talking exceptionally fast.  
>"I'm sorry for what I said to you before, Brax. I know I shouldn't have, but I kind of got angry about how you wouldn't let me go. I do see where you're coming from, but this is just two days. Besides, I have a free period on the Friday and Monday so I'll be missing hardly anything. Anyways, I just came back from Ruby's and she's allowed to go. I'm sorry how I had a go at you about Charlie before."<br>I had never seen Casey be so serious before. He wanted to go so badly. This was his first apology that genuinely came from his heart. I knew it would hit him hard if I didn't let him go.  
>"You know what? I'll let you go, but you have to make sure that you do well in the test tomorrow or else I'll change my mind," I warned.<br>Casey gave me his typical confused look. "How did you know about the test?"  
>"I told you I spoke to Mrs Palmer before, didn't I?"<br>"Oh right, of course she told you."

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>I immediately raced to Ruby's house. I couldn't wait to tell her. As soon as she opened the door, I lifted her up and swung her around.  
>"I'm guessing Brax changed his mind!" she exclaimed.<br>"You bet!" I shouted excitedly.  
>"Wooo! I think we better start packing then. We'll be off in three days!"<br>"Don't you think we should celebrate first? Leave all the boring stuff to the end babe!"  
>"That is so true. You always know the right thing to do," she said and kissed me on the lips.<br>"So um, how are we going to celebrate? Want to go out or shall we stay in here?" I asked with a wink.  
>"Ooooh, I think we should go with both!"<br>"Good idea! I need to go home to get a shirt on, but how about we meet at the diner in five?"  
>"No way! Stay the way you are! Embrace your sexiness." Ruby shouted cheekily.<br>"Haha nah, I'll leave that for Brax and Heath," I replied.  
>"Fine, but wear my favourite shirt of yours!"<br>"Of course!" I said, and we kissed before I left.

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>So Casey had listened to me when I told him to wear my favourite shirt of his. It was a white singlet that showed off his body perfectly. You could see his guns from a distance, and well, just quietly, that's the way I liked it. He saw that I was already there and took the seat opposite mine.  
>"Don't worry about ordering, I've already ordered us a piece of chocolate cake," I told him.<br>"One piece..? There are two of us..?" He said, looking half confused.  
>People weren't kidding when they said boys were a tad bit slow. "Two spoons," I winked.<p>

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>It had gotten quite dark by now, but neither of the two of us wanted to go home. As we were walking back to Leah's house along the beach, I couldn't help but notice the perfect spot for us. I lead Ruby to a corner of the beach which was shadowed by a couple of bushes.  
>"What are we doing here?" she asked.<br>"Well, this is the perfect spot. We could do anything, and nobody will be able to see us because of all the bushes," I explained.  
>We lit a small fire, and sat next to it on one log.<br>"This is beautiful," she said to me.  
>"And so are you," I replied.<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen **

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>All our bags were packed and ready in the car for us to drive up the coast. Ruby insisted on driving, so I took the passenger's seat instead. The weather conditions weren't smooth at all. It was incredibly windy, and it was pouring with rain. Brax told us to reschedule, but I said to him that either way we would be okay. There weren't many cars driving up, so Ruby decided to drive a little faster than the limit. At first nothing went wrong, until a car came out of nowhere. Both cars' windshields were completely fogged up, and neither of us could see a thing. Ruby was driving straight up a narrow hill, but the car came from our right. I don't know how it crashed into us, but everything went dark.

Third Person  
><span>All the passengers in both cars were stuck. By the looks of it, they were all unconscious. The car from the right had hit Ruby and Casey's car in the very middle. It had slammed against their car. The roads were completely deserted so there were no witnesses for the accident. Everyone had been left there without any help.

"_There have been severe weather warnings issued on the north of Summer Bay. All those heading up the coast should reschedule plans as the weather could get a lot worse."  
><em>As soon as Charlie heard this on the radio, she perked up. Ruby and Casey had left for the coast this morning. Neither her nor Brax had heard from either of the two, so she wasn't sure if they had arrived safely or not. She grabbed her keys off her desk and raced out of her office.  
>"Where are you going, Sergeant?" Constable Watson asked, once Charlie had walked past the front desk. "There's box loads of paper work that needs to be done."<br>"That'll have to wait," Charlie replied. "There have been weather warnings issued, and I have no idea where Ruby and Casey are."  
>"Have you given them a call yet?"<br>Charlie quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket and speed dialled Ruby. It just kept ringing and ringing, so she hung up.  
>"She isn't picking up," Charlie told Watson.<br>"Maybe she's busy?" Watson suggested.  
>"No, I highly doubt so. I told her to call me once she got there, and I haven't gotten one yet."<br>"Okay, fine, but try to make it quick. The paper work won't get done on its own."

Charlie drove quickly but steadily along the slippery roads. She wasn't driving on the same route as Casey and Ruby did, yet she couldn't help but notice two cars closely against each other. Reversing her car, and heading towards the direction of where she started, she then took up the route leading towards the two cars. As she got closer and closer, a blue familiar car caught her attention. It was the one Ruby had left with earlier that day. She ran out from her car. She was right, it was Ruby. Another car had crashed right against it. She quickly dialled the ambulance, and called for some more back up. She tried to call Brax too, but he didn't answer. Charlie went closer against the two cars. The other car was driven by someone she had not recognised. There was only the one person in the car, who was still bleeding. She started panicking when she saw Ruby and Casey. Neither of them replied when she shouted their names. Luckily, more cops and two ambulances had arrived. Being forced by a worried Charlie, the ambulance took Casey and Ruby out of the car first. The car had to be slightly taken apart to carry both of them out. Blood was sprawled all over the two teenagers. They were both unconscious and had oxygen masks placed on them immediately. Charlie kept pacing back and forth, calling Brax. He still didn't answer, so she texted him, telling him there was an emergency and he had to go to the hospital straight away.

Charlie forgot about the other car and left the other cops to deal with it. She followed the ambulance to the hospital, and wanted to make sure that Ruby and Casey were treated right away. Only moments after she and the ambulance had arrived, she heard familiar footsteps. Brax and Heath were now at the hospital too.  
>"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie," Brax said. "Where's Casey? What happened? How is he? What about Ruby?"<br>"There was an accident on the road. A car had collided with theirs," Charlie explained.  
>Heath didn't look happy at all. "Who was it?"<br>"I don't know, sorry," Charlie said.  
>"What do you mean you don't know? Don't you care? Your daughter is hurt too!" exclaimed Heath.<br>"Of course I care! That's why I got here so quickly!" Charlie said, struggling to hold back her tears. All she wanted was for her daughter to be safe. No matter how old Ruby was, she was still Charlie's baby girl.  
>"Whoever it was can't get away with this," Heath shouted.<br>Brax shot Heath a death stare. "Just drop okay, mate? You're not helping."  
>Everybody knew better than to mess with Brax, so Heath, being the one who loves his food, went over to the vending machine.<br>"I'm sorry for how he's behaving Charlie," Brax said.  
>"Nah, it's fine. I understand where he's coming from. All of us want Casey and Ruby to be safe. That's all I want," said Charlie. She couldn't fight back her tears. Her eyes turned watery and tears started rolling down her cheeks.<br>"Ruby will be alright babe, trust me. She's a brave girl," Brax told Charlie.  
>"Yeah, I know... You're so strong Brax. Your little brother is in with the doctors, and you seem to be holding up fine."<br>"That's because I know Casey will be fine. He's got a thick head."  
>"At least it'll come in handy now..." Charlie attempted to joke. "If only Ruby will be the same..." She started crying again. She had done so much to raise Ruby. It hadn't started off well, but they had a strong relationship now. Charlie couldn't bear to lose her daughter.<br>"Charlie, sssshhhh... It'll be alright," Brax assured his girlfriend. He motioned for her to follow him and sat on the seats in the waiting area. Brax pulled Charlie close to him, allowing her to cry on his shoulders while he cuddled her tightly.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen **

Hours had passed, and finally Brax and Charlie heard the doctors rolling a bed pass them and into one of the rooms. They both rushed to see who it was. Casey was lying still on the bed.  
>"Is he okay?" Brax asked the doctors.<br>"Yeah, we've managed to recover him. He's got a few bruises and scars here and there, but his main injury is a broken leg. He'll have to take quite a few pain killers for the next 48 or so hours," Dr Walker said.  
>Brax sighed with relief, knowing that his youngest brother was safe.<br>As happy as Charlie was for Casey, she still couldn't stop worrying about her daughter, wondering why they're taking so long. "How about Ruby?" she asked Dr Walker.  
>"I'm not sure sorry, I wasn't with her, but I'll go into the room to check on her," he replied.<p>

Another hour had passed and Ruby remained in theatre. Charlie was still crying in Brax's arms. Brax didn't know what to feel. His brother had gotten out safely, and was just sleeping in one of the rooms, but Ruby, who he looked after as if she was his own daughter, was still inside and nobody knew what was happening. Charlie had her face buried into Brax, and couldn't look around the hospital. She just kept asking Brax if Ruby was out yet. All Brax could say was that she wasn't, but everything will turn out okay. "Ruby's a strong girl," he told Charlie.

"You can go in and see Casey if you would like," Dr Walker said to Brax and Charlie. "He has just woken up, and a few familiar faces would do him good."  
>Charlie ignored what he had to say, and asked how Ruby was doing. Dr Walker said they weren't too sure, but is hoping for a good outcome. He couldn't look her in the eye when he said that; he knew she was starting to tear up again.<br>"Do you want to go in and see Casey?" the doctor repeated.  
>Brax did indeed want to see how his brother was doing, but he couldn't leave Charlie's side, not like this. "Go Brax, he'll want to see you," Charlie said.<br>Brax looked at Charlie unsurely. "Honestly babe, go, you'll want to see him too," Charlie said again.  
>He didn't want to leave Charlie in the waiting area on her own. "Why don't you come in with me?" he asked.<br>Charlie didn't want to sound heartless, but she didn't want to see Casey. She didn't want to see someone from the same accident as her daughter who had made a fine recovery, while Ruby was still stuck in theatre. She couldn't bring herself to do it. "I'm sorry Brax, I just can't. I just want to wait for Ruby until she comes out," she said while holding her tears back.  
>"I won't leave you alone," Brax said. "I won't see Casey until Ruby comes out."<p>

Casey couldn't stand lying still on the hospital bed. It was extremely uncomfortable, and it made it worst how he had a giant cast on his right leg. Dr Walker had to check on him every half hour. During the fourth time he came in, Casey asked to see Brax. Dr Walker had heard Charlie and Brax's conversation earlier before, but couldn't tell him that his older brother didn't want to see him. "I'll see if he's around and I'll try to get him for you," Dr Walker told him. Casey thanked the doctor just as he was about to walk out the door.

Dr Walker walked over to Brax and Charlie. Charlie had fallen asleep, so hopefully, for Casey's sake, he could get Brax to see Casey. "Casey has asked to see you," he said to Brax.  
>"I'm sorry, I can't. Tell him after Ruby comes out," told Brax.<br>Dr Walker sighed and headed back towards Casey's room. He wasn't prepared to be an owl, but it was all part of the job. "Brax is waiting with Charlie," he told Casey as he walked into the room.  
>"Can they both come in?" Casey asked.<br>"Well Charlie is sleeping on him..." Dr Walker paused. He hadn't realised how awkward that must have sounded. "Err... What I meant was, Charlie's sleeping on his lap..."  
>Casey shot him a weird glance. The doctor decided to cut to the chase. "They're not going to move from the waiting area until Ruby comes out."<br>"Wait, Ruby hasn't come out yet?" Casey asked. Hours had passed, and he couldn't believe that she was still in there. He thought he had been in there for long enough...  
>"I'm afraid not," Dr Walker replied.<br>Casey couldn't believe his girlfriend was still in there. Charlie must be worried sick. "Do you know how she's going?" he asked.  
>"I'm not too sure, sorry."<br>"Am I allowed to go to Brax and Charlie then?" questioned Casey. He wanted to be there for Charlie, and at least the two of them would be on the same page. They both loved Ruby dearly.  
>"No, sorry Casey. You've got to stay in bed," Dr Walker answered firmly.<br>Casey grunted. "Let me know when she comes out then?"  
>"Yup, of course."<p>

A couple of footsteps and a bed rolling towards them had woken Charlie up. "Is that Ruby? Is that Ruby?" she asked frantically.  
>Nobody answered her when the bed passed them. Ruby was lying there on the bed as still as a rock. Her skin was as pale as a sheep. This got Charlie into tears again.<br>"What happened?" she asked, in between her sobs. "Is she okay?"  
>All the doctors except one, dragged Ruby into another room. The doctor who stayed behind explained to Charlie what happened.<br>"Ruby was the one who was driving in the car. The other car had hit them on the side Ruby was on. Her injuries are quite severe and we've tried to recover her as much as we possibly can. She's still unconscious and will have to stay in a coma."  
>Brax couldn't look at Charlie when they were told this. Charlie started crying even harder. Brax cuddled her and told Charlie that at least Ruby has pulled through. The doctor, who was still with them, wasn't thinking at all. "We can't confirm that for sure. We still need to keep a close eye on her because anything could happen."<br>This set Charlie off even more. "She'll be okay," Brax tried to tell Charlie.  
>Charlie didn't want to hear any of this. "How do you know? You're not a doctor!" she yelled.<br>"She's strong Charlie," Brax told her, trying to calm her down.  
>"You don't get it. She's all I have Brax. I can't lose her, not now, not at such a young age."<br>"Charlie, I know."  
>"Do you Brax? Do you really? Casey's fine, he's awake!"<br>Brax couldn't understand why she was having a go at Casey. "Why does this have anything to do with Casey? Look, I get that you're upset. I'm just trying to hope for the best okay?"  
>"They were both in the same accident! Why is there such a big difference between their injuries huh!" Charlie shouted. She slumped back into her seat, buried her face into her hands and started crying again. "This isn't fair," she said, over and over again.<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

_Thank you for all the reviews I've received for this story. I really do appreciate them, and please keep reviewing it. From the chapter after this, it'll be more focused on Brax and Charlie. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Easter. Treat yourself to heaps of chocolate too! Lots of love xxx – BreatheSummerBay _

**Chapter Nineteen **

Deciding that it was best to leave Charlie to herself, Brax went off to visit Casey in his room.  
>"How are you, mate?" he asked.<br>"I'm a bit sore here and there, but yeah, I guess I'm okay. Well as okay as someone can be after an accident..." Casey replied. "What about Ruby? How is she? Dr Walker told me that you would only come in here if she was out of theatre so I'm assuming she's out, yeah?"  
>Brax didn't want to tell Casey how Ruby was, but he knew he had to, even if his youngest brother was going through enough pain himself. It would be better if Casey heard it from Brax rather than overhearing it from someone else.<br>Brax hesitated before he spoke. "She's in a coma Casey."  
>Casey's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding?"<br>"I wish I was mate."  
>"How's Charlie coping?"<br>"Not well at all. We had an argument before, and obviously she's really upset."  
>"Argument?" Casey repeated. "About what?"<br>"Nothing Casey, don't worry about it."  
>Casey could tell that it was more than <em>nothing<em>. "I'm going to see Ruby," he said.  
>"Mate, you can't!" Brax shouted. "You've got to stay in here. You need your rest. You can't just go off to places like you normally do. You're in pain mate."<br>Casey didn't want to hear anything Brax was saying. He tried to wriggle himself out of the bed, but Brax forced him back onto it. "You're not going anywhere mate," he said firmly.  
>"I wanna see my girlfriend," Casey retorted angrily.<br>"Charlie will get angry."  
>"See, it's always about Charlie isn't it?"<br>"You don't understand mate. She had a go at me before because of what happened to Ruby."  
>"How on earth is it any of your fault?" Casey questioned.<br>"I'm asking myself that too."

Charlie sat in front of Ruby who was in a coma. Charlie held her daughter's hang tightly, and felt like she would never want to let go. Flashbacks of herself and Ruby began to appear in her head. When Ruby was first born, when she had to go and live with her aunty because she couldn't bring herself to look after Ruby so her parents did instead, when her and Ruby would play with each other; as if they were sisters, when she finally told Ruby that she was actually her mum, and all the little points leading up till now. Although Ruby would often go against her, Charlie still loved her ever so much. She wasn't prepared to let her little girl go.

Dr Walker came into the room to check on Ruby. There were no changes on Ruby's condition. She was still lying in the coma looking lifeless.  
>"Try and talk to her," Dr Walker said.<br>"But she won't even hear me?" responded Charlie.  
>"It doesn't matter. Sometimes patients gain consciousness when they can hear memories of them," explained Sid.<br>"What do I say to her?" Charlie asked.  
>"Anything; preferably good memories though. Talk to her as if she can hear and answer you." Sid said and left the room so that Charlie could speak to Ruby on her own.<p>

Before Charlie could start talking, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. Brax, the screen read. She ignored it and tried to think of something to say to Ruby. All of their recent moments involved Casey and Brax, and right now, Charlie really wasn't in the mood to talk about them. Even when she thought about them, her eyes would begin to water. _It isn't fair, _she thought. _Why can't Rubes be like Casey? He's wide awake._ She looked down at Ruby and reached for her hand. "I love you baby girl," she said softly.

"What are you doing Brax?" Casey asked. He, being the one lying in bed who desperately wanted to get out of the room, watched his brother sulking on the seat next to him.  
>"Nothing," Brax replied.<br>Casey could tell that it was a lot more than nothing. "Look, just call Charlie okay?"  
>"I did," Brax said.<br>Casey raised an eyebrow. "And?"  
>"Nothing."<br>"Oh wow, how sociable are you? What do you mean by nothing?"  
>"She's not picking up the phone mate."<br>"Err... Maybe because she's worried about Ruby?" Casey said, pointing out the obvious.  
>"No Case, really?" said a sarcastic Brax.<br>"Leave her a voice message. That way, she's bound to hear it even if she is looking after Rubes."  
>"Good idea. No wonder you're the smart one in the family," Brax joked. "I'll leave one later. First I need to get hold of your brother first."<br>"Where is he?" Casey asked.  
>"Who knows."<br>"Does he even know I'm in here?"  
>"I have no idea. I've texted him saying you are, but he hasn't replied."<br>"Well he obviously cares about me, doesn't he?"  
>"Don't take it personally," Brax said. "You know this is typical of Heath."<p>

Charlie could only think of her happiest memories with Ruby which included Brax and Casey. She sighed, and decided to talk about them anyways if there could be a chance that Ruby would wake up. She picked up both of Ruby's hands and kissed them gently. She then held them tightly as she began to speak.  
>"Remember when you and Casey thought it would be funny to get me on an online dating site? You two got up to no good. You took a picture of me and posted it for god knows who to see. Suddenly you two came across the creepiest people, as well as a few nice people here and there. When I told Brax, seeing as we were together then as well, he started laughing his head off. You and Casey got me to choose someone out of the men you two narrowed it down to."<br>Charlie stopped talking to see if Ruby had reacted. Unfortunately, she hadn't. Charlie didn't want to get her hopes up, but all she wanted was for Ruby to wake up, so she continued with the story.  
>"Funnily enough Rubes, I cancelled the date without you knowing, and Brax and I had a "date" instead. Well it wasn't a proper date because as you know, we didn't want to risk anything. Anyways, when I got home, you saw me coming in with lipstick smeared all over my face, and you wouldn't stop interrogating me. You seemed to find it awfully funny," Charlie said and ended the story.<br>Ruby was still as one in sleep. Tears dripped down Charlie's face. "Baby, please please please wake up!" she begged. She started to recall another memory.  
>"Remember when I found you and Casey at the back of Xave's V8 car undressed? You probably didn't know that I was the one who had to take Casey home. I had a word with Brax, telling him what had happened. I explained how I found you two in the backseat. All he said was <em>'I didn't know you had it in ya.' <em>Obviously, being a cop, I had to act professional and I couldn't laugh at it, although I did find it quite hilarious deep down."  
>Charlie paused for a moment, hoping Ruby had done some sort of movement, but yet again, nothing happened. She was about to talk to Ruby again, until she heard her phone ringing. Like before, it was Brax. She ignored it, leaving for voicemail to pick it up.<br>"Hey Charlie, I'm sorry for what's happened to Rubes, I hope she has made progress. I know you're not in the mood, but I want us to talk. I don't get why you're blaming this on me. Call me when you can Charlie? Give Ruby love from Casey and I. We hope she gets better soon. Casey really wants to see her, and he misses her like crazy-"  
>Brax's message was still going, but Charlie had been watching Ruby the whole time.<br>"Dr Walker, Dr Walker!" Charlie shouted as loudly as she could.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty **

Dr Walker raced into Ruby's room immediately after he heard an alarmed Charlie calling him. Just as he walked in, he was about to ask what was the emergency until he saw for himself. Ruby's eyes kept flickering. Her fingers wriggled slowly. Dr Walker rushed to her side. He felt Ruby's pulse and heartbeat clearly.  
>"Ruby. Ruby," he called. "Ruby, are you with me?" he asked.<br>She didn't respond. Obviously, Dr Walker didn't expect a spoken reply.  
>"Squeeze my hand tightly if you can hear me," the doctor said.<br>Unfortunately, Ruby made no movement. She remained completely still on the bed.  
>"What happened?" asked a panicked Charlie. "I swear to god she moved. You saw her too, didn't you?"<br>"Yeah, I did, but this happens all the time. It's common with most of the patients we get in here. This means she's making progress. It's a good thing Charlie," Sid explained.  
>"Does this mean she'll wake up soon?"<br>"Hopefully. Let me know if this happens again."  
>"Yup, of course. Thanks Sid."<br>"Just keep doing what you were doing."

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>I could hear voices in my head, or was that just my imagination? I didn't know where I was. All I could see was black. I was surrounded by darkness. I tried to move around, but I couldn't. I stayed still; as if someone was suppose to control me rather than me being able to move by myself. I was in a rather uncomfortable place. I assumed I was lying on a bed, but it wasn't a very soft mattress. I could hear beeping noises around me after the talking had stopped. I tried my best to listen in on the conversation, but I could only pick up a few words here and there. The darkness in my head immediately disappeared. Flashes of sand and waves appeared. I felt myself inside a car with someone next to me. I turned my head and saw a tall and cute teenage boy sitting next to me. He seemed awfully familiar, but I couldn't match a name to his face. Everything went dark again when I heard a loud bang. I knew something had crashed against us, but I couldn't see what it was. I heard the boy calling my name. As hard as I tried to respond, nothing came out of my mouth.  
>I could hear someone talking in the room outside my thoughts. It sounded like a woman's voice, but I couldn't identify it. I heard the words she said, <em>"Please wake up Rubes? Everyone you love wants to see you active again. Me, Casey-" <em>Casey. That was the boy's name. He was the one in the car travelling with me. I wonder where he's gone to? I wanted to wake up so badly to let my sister and Casey know. _"Ruby? Are you with me Rubes? I'm sorry if I've ever hurt you, especially for not being straight with you; for giving you the biggest shock a few years ago, telling you that I'm your mum." _I heard the voice again. So she wasn't my sister. She was my mum. She kept speaking. She told stories about me, which sounded quite recent. I tried to piece what she was telling me with what I could remember; which wasn't much at all.  
>A door slam woke me up inside. I still couldn't see anything in the real world, but flashes of an accident appeared into my head again. The door slam I heard reminded me of the sound when a car smashed against the one Casey and I were in. I couldn't remember anything after that, but everything that happened before started flowing back into my head. The woman speaking to me outside was Charlie; my mum. I tried to say <em>"mummy" <em>out loud. I heard myself saying that, but what if it was only in my head?

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I swear I just saw Ruby's lips moving. Nothing came out, but I know I saw it move. I called for Dr Walker again. "Her lips. They moved. I think she was trying to say something," I told him frantically.  
>Dr Walker tried to do what he did before. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me?"<p>

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>I heard the doctor coming into the room. I heard the doctor telling me to squeeze his hand if I could hear him. I tried to. I really did, but I didn't have enough strength to do it. Now it seemed like I couldn't hear him. Way to get Charlie worked up again...  
>"She's not squeezing my hand," I heard the doctor say.<br>"Does that mean she can't hear us?" Charlie asked.  
>"Not necessarily," he answered.<br>"Is there a way you could possibly check?" I could feel Charlie's hand reaching for mine. They were shaking due to how worried she was getting.  
>The doctor didn't reply to Charlie. Instead, he talked to me again.<br>"If you can hear me, move anything. Even an eye flicker will do, or a wriggle of your toes and fingers."  
>My eyes wouldn't move. They were completely shut. I managed to wave my smallest finger about, but I didn't know if it was enough.<br>"She's not moving is she?" Charlie asked.  
>"No, I don't think so. I'm sorry Charlie," the doctor said.<br>And so I thought, it wasn't enough. I was more than awake inside. If only it was the same on the outside... My bones and muscles wouldn't let me move, but I could hear everything loud and clear.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>It was like Ruby was going against me. It was like she didn't want to wake up. The very few times she did make movement just had to be when Dr Walker wasn't in the room. I was always in the room on my own when she moved. Sid must be thinking I'm imagining things.  
>I had put my phone on vibrate on the coma, hoping if it does go, it'll get Ruby to react. It rang, but she remained still. It was Brax calling again. Like before, I didn't want to answer it, so I let voicemail do its job.<br>_"Charlie? Are you avoiding me? Look, I'm really sorry for whatever I did wrong. Casey is too. I hope the reason you're not answering the phone is because you're too occupied with Ruby? I hope she's okay. Please give our love to her, and also, please contact Casey or I when we can see her? We really want to, especially Casey. He won't stop talking about her. I love you." _  
>It was really considerate of him apologising, but I didn't want to hear any of it.<br>Out of nowhere, I heard a voice. _"I'm okay Brax." _


	21. Chapter 21

_Thank you for reviewing and reading! I really do appreciate it. The Logies are in a few days. Please keep voting for Esther Anderson. She really needs us behind her. Please SMS "Esther" to 199 52 900 or call 1902 552 904. Every vote counts. _

**Chapter Twenty One **

Charlie's P.O.V.   
>"Ruby!" I yelled. "Is that you? Can you hear me?"<br>I yelled so loudly that even Dr Walker could hear me from outside. He ran into the room and took control.  
>"What happened?" he asked me.<br>"Ruby spoke. I heard her," I said quickly.  
>"What did she say?"<br>"I'm okay Brax," I quoted.  
>Dr Walker raised a questioning eyebrow.<br>"Oh um, Brax called but I left it for voicemail to pick it up. I'm assuming Ruby heard him and wanted to let him know she's okay," I said hastily.  
>"Alright, I'll try this again." He turned to Ruby and said, "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."<br>Oddly enough, nothing happened. Dr Walker didn't give up. "Move anything if you can hear me," he said.  
>We both saw her wriggling her fingers. Immediately, Dr Walker yelled for help. A few other doctors came into the room. With two doctors on either side of Ruby, they counted to three and lifted her onto a bed. They dragged her down the corridor. "We're taking her into theatre to check on her, and to fix things we may have missed before." Dr Walker told me.<br>"Is she alright?" I asked before he could get away.  
>"It looks that way, but I don't want you to get your hopes up. Anything could happen," he warned.<br>I watched him follow Ruby, hoping everything will go as planned.

Casey's P.O.V.  
><span>I heard a set of wheels rolling past the room I was in. I looked out the side window and saw Ruby lying in the bed with doctors surrounding her. Without even thinking, I leaped off my bed and ran after them.  
>"Dr Walker, Dr Walker!" I yelled.<br>"What are you doing Casey? I should be in bed!" he exclaimed.  
>"I know, I'm sorry, but what's wrong with Ruby?" I asked.<br>"Nothing that we know of. She just woke up," he answered.  
>"So why are you taking her-"<br>Dr Walker started to speak before I could finish. "Look, I don't have time for questions. Just go and get some rest like you should be and I'll update you with more details afterwards." He left before I could ask him anything else.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>As I got back from the hospital's vending machine, I saw Casey running back into his room.  
>"Where did ya go Case?" I asked. "You're suppose to stay in bed. The doctors won't be happy to see you up mate."<br>"They know I'm up. I saw them with Ruby and I asked how she was doing," he answered.  
>I grunted.<br>"What? Don't you care about Ruby?" demanded Casey.  
>"Of course I do. It's just that I don't think we're on Charlie's good side right now. I know she's been ignoring me," I told him.<br>"Bro, Ruby just woke up. Do you really expect Charlie to be right at your toes where her daughter was in a coma?"  
>"Well she could've at least sent me a text to let me know what was happening."<br>"Think about it Brax. It's not like she knew what was happening. Cut her some slack bro."  
>"You don't even know what she said to me. She blamed this all on me and I just wanted to know why okay?" I explained angrily.<br>"Fine, whatever. Just sort yourselves out because I don't want to be caught in the middle of all this."  
>"You already are."<br>"Leave it, Brax," he said firmly.  
>I'd never seen my brother so annoyed before so I left him alone and went to the bathroom.<p>

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Awhile after the doctors had taken Ruby away, I knew there was nothing I could do except sit around and wait. Seeing as Brax kept calling me, I decided to go to Casey's room in case he was there. I also wanted to apologise to him as I blamed the accident on him. I peeked through the window of Casey's room, but Brax was nowhere in sight. I went inside and asked Casey where his brother was.  
>"I'm not too sure, sorry. We had a disagreement so he just took off," answered Casey.<br>"Do you know where he went?"  
>"No sorry. I can give him a call if you want?"<br>"Nah, it's fine. I'll go and find him myself. Thanks anyways Case. Hope you're feeling better," I said politely.  
>I was just about to walk out the door until Casey called for me. "Wait, Charlie, how's Ruby?" he asked.<br>"I guess she's okay?" I replied.  
>"Haven't the doctors said anything?"<br>Before I could answer, Brax walked into the room.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>"There you are Brax!" Charlie greeted, as if nothing had happened before. "Where were you? I was looking everywhere for you."  
>She didn't get it, did she? It makes no sense how she blamed everything on me, and now she's acting as if everything is okay. "Why? You kept having a go at me before," I replied.<br>"I know, I'm really sorry Brax. I didn't mean to. All this was boiling up in my head and all I wanted was for Ruby to be okay. You were the only other person there."  
>"You still shouldn't be blaming me. I didn't even do anything wrong. Can't you at least explain to me why? Besides, you were ignoring my calls."<br>"That's because I was so worried about Ruby, and Casey was here perfectly fine."  
>"He's still hurt Charlie," I said angrily. "You shouldn't even be taking this out on me. It's not like I wanted Casey to go in the first place."<br>"Then how come you did?"  
>"Because my brother here kept pestering me."<br>"Alright, fair enough. Like I said before, I'm sorry."  
>"Me too," I said slowly.<br>"What for?" Charlie asked.  
>"Us. When you found out Casey was alright and Ruby was unconscious, you kept saying how it wasn't fair that Ruby had much more of a severe injury. You were blaming it on Casey, and he didn't do anything wrong. You kept having a go at me and my brother. How are we suppose to stay together if something goes wrong and you're just going to blame it on someone?"<br>"I already said I'm sorry. Besides, you know that the best things don't happen when a Braxton is involved..."  
>This really made me angry. "I thought you were different Charlie. I thought you weren't so judgemental!" I shouted.<br>It had only just hit Charlie of what she said. "I'm sorry Brax, I didn't mean it like that!"  
>"Just go, please."<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

_Thank you for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and please keep reviewing the upcoming chapters. Just want to say a huge congratulations to Steve Peacocke for taking home the Silver Logie for "Most Popular New Male Talent." He's an amazing actor and definitely deserves it. _

**Chapter Twenty Two **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I looked back at Casey after the fight between Charlie and I. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Go after her," he said.  
>"No, I'm going for a surf," I told him.<br>"Are you kidding me?"  
>"No, I need to clear my head."<br>"Mate, your girlfriend is upset and it's partly your fault. Her daughter is in hospital. She was already sad to begin with, and now you've made everything worse."  
>"Did you not hear her? She used the whole "being a Braxton is bad" thing on me. That includes you too you know," I told him sternly.<br>"She's probably not thinking straight. At least talk to her would you?" Casey begged.  
>"No, not until she apologizes."<br>"Oh right, of course you'd disagree with me. You've always been the stubborn one."  
>"Yeah, whatever. I'll catch you later."<br>Just as I walked out the door, Casey shouted after me. "And for the record, I like you with Charlie so please, try to patch things up."

As I headed down to the beach, I saw Charlie coming back from the diner. She knew I saw her and started to come my way. Instead of meeting up with her, I pretended like I didn't realise she was coming and headed into the waves. I heard footsteps jogging towards me. Charlie had stopped me. "Brax, wait. Can we please talk?" she asked.  
>"What about?" I replied.<br>"What I said before. I'm really sorry."  
>"Look, I get that you're upset, confused and you can't think straight right now, and I know Ruby's on your mind, but what you said about my family really hit me hard. I thought you out of all people would understand. You're one of the few people who genuinely understand why we made up the River Boys. We come from tough backgrounds and family means a lot to us. One comment like that really gets to us, and not in a good way either," I explained to her.<br>"I know, that's why I keep apologising."  
>"That's not going to take back what you said."<br>"Well if I could take it back, I would."  
>"Yeah well, you can't. I'm sorry Charlie, but I think we should just keep to ourselves for awhile." I told her and went straight off into the waves. I didn't want to listen to what she had to say.<p>

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I walked away with tears in my eyes. How could he do this to me? I thought he knew me better than this. He should know that I didn't mean what I said. It just kind of slipped out... Now he doesn't even want to see me... As I went into the hospital and passed Casey's room, he called out to me. I was about to go into his room because I knew he would find out about Brax and I sooner or later, but I was interrupted by Dr Walker.  
>"Can I please have a word with you for a sec?" he asked.<br>"Yeah, sure. Is Ruby okay?"  
>"Fortunately yes. We've moved her into the room next to Casey's. She's made a full recovery, but will need full medical care for the next forty eight hours. She's got a broken arm, as well as many scars and bruises. I can assure you that she will be okay though," Dr Walked explained.<br>I sighed with relief. Thank god she'll be alright. What a close call it was. "Am I allowed to go in and see her?" I asked Sid.  
>"Yeah, of course, but just so you know, she's asleep."<br>"I'll go in anyways," I told him.  
>"Charlie, can you please let me know when she's woken up?" Casey asked me.<br>"Yeah, of course," I replied. Casey was a good kid and I knew he genuinely cared about Ruby.  
>"Don't stay for too long when you go and see her though Casey, you need your own rest too," Dr Walker said.<br>"Yeah okay, I just want to see how she's doing."

I let myself into Ruby's room. Just as Dr Walker had said, she was sound asleep. She had a blue cast along her right arm. Her scars and bruises were quite visible, although hopefully the bruises would fade soon enough. I may have pulled up a chair a bit too loudly next to her. She got woken up by me, and looked extremely tired. "Charlie?" she said tiredly. I didn't respond. I gave her a hug straight away, and held on tightly. "Haha warm greeting aye?" she joked. At least she still had her humour. "This was such a close call Ruby, I was really afraid of losing you," I told her.  
>"At least I'm okay now," she said.<br>"Yeah, that's the main thing. I love you Rubes."  
>"I love you too Charlie," she said. I leaned into her and wouldn't let her go. "How's Casey?" she asked.<br>"He's doing well. He broke a leg, and has bruises and scars like you, but he did wake up a lot earlier than you did. You were unconscious for awhile and was in a coma, but Casey pretty much woke up straight away," I explained.  
>"What about the car?"<br>"It got hit pretty hard... We'll have to get a new one."  
>She looked completely devastated and started crying in my arms. "Charlie, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I swear I was looking at where I was going, but the car came out of nowhere!" she exclaimed.<br>"Rubes, it's okay. The cops know it wasn't your fault."  
>"What about the people in the other car?" she asked, worryingly.<br>"They're hurt too, but I don't think it was anywhere near as bad as you and Casey were."  
>"Oh..." Her voice drifted off. Ruby had a really big heart and was always looking out for others so I knew she felt really bad.<br>"Don't worry about it Ruby. As long as you're safe, it's all that matters," I said.  
>"Yeah, I guess so..." she said unsurely.<p> 


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three **

An hour after Ruby had woken up, she asked to see Charlie. Charlie wasn't so sure about going into the next room in case Brax was there, but she didn't want Ruby to worry about it. She decided it was best to text Casey, so she pulled out her phone. Ruby, being as curious as she was, asked Charlie what she was doing with her phone. "Casey is only next door," she said. Charlie quickly came up with a blunt excuse, muttering something about how she could be interrupting the doctors who might be checking up on Casey. Fortunately, Ruby didn't see through this and went with the flow.

In the next room, Casey had been fast asleep but was woken up by his phone. Charlie texted him saying that Ruby had woken up and would like to see him. He grabbed his crutches which leaned against the wall beside his bed and hobbled out the door.

Casey knocked on the door before allowing himself to go in. "Come in," Ruby shouted. He struggled to open the door as he was still in pain and was also trying to balance himself with his crutches. "Err... I can't quite open the door..." he said awkwardly. Thankfully, no questions were asked as Charlie understood why and went to open the door. Casey, who had seen the state of Ruby wasn't so surprised, but Ruby on the other hand, had her hands covering her mouth. It hurt her seeing her boyfriend like that as she thought it was mainly her fault. "Can you please give us a minute?" Ruby asked Charlie.

Charlie stepped outside and closed the door behind her. She was about to head to the vending machine to get herself a bottle of water until she saw Brax coming around the corner. She didn't want things to get messy in a public area, so she avoided his glance and turned to the opposite direction; pretending like she needed to use the bathroom.

This idea didn't start off well. Just as she was about to go down the corridor, she heard either Casey or Ruby fumbling with the door behind her. She gave them a helping hand and turned the door for them. Out came Casey. "Do you know-" Casey stopped. "Uh... Never mind," he said. He was going to ask Charlie if she had seen Brax, until he saw him coming towards them. Brax, using his common sense, didn't ask what Casey was doing out of bed. Obviously he wanted to see Ruby.

Brax nodded to his brother as if to say hello and went straight into Casey's room. Casey called out Brax's name, just as he was in the doorway. "Can you come in Ruby's room for a sec?" he asked Brax. Brax hesitated before following his younger brother into the next room. Charlie stood awkwardly outside, not knowing what to do. "Oh, you can come back in Charlie," Casey said. Charlie knew it was best for both her and Brax to keep their distance so she remained standing still on the spot. "Uh... As in we want you to come in," Casey added. Charlie glanced at Brax unsurely, but his face remained blank. He was standing at the end of the bed, so Charlie went back to the seat she originally sat on next to Ruby.

Nobody spoke for awhile until Casey broke the awkward silence in the room. "Ruby and I want to stay in one room," he announced. Neither Charlie nor Brax were expecting this. They were both shocked. They knew how awkward it would get without the two teenagers knowing what happened between them, although they assumed Casey had a fair idea as he saw them fight. Brax wanted to know what got Casey and Ruby into this idea. "Well we both knew we would always been going into each other's rooms so why not make it easier for us both to stay in the same room?" Casey asked. Both Brax and Charlie knew Casey had a point. It would also allow them to rest easier as they're still in pain. "Can I have a word with you outside Case?" Brax spoke up. Casey followed his brother outside.

As soon as the two brothers were outside, Brax spoke immediately. "How do you think this is going to impact on me and Charlie huh? Can't you and Ruby just go to each other's rooms?" he asked.  
>"Well yeah, if you want to make this harder for me. My bruises still hurt okay? So does Ruby's. Besides, I have crutches and they get really tiring after constantly using them," Casey said.<br>"Well you'll have to get use to it," Brax replied selfishly.  
>"Why? What's wrong with us sharing a room? Our beds will be on opposite sides just do you know..." Casey said slowly.<br>"Look, I know, but that's not the problem"  
>"Then what is?"<br>"Charlie and I staying in the same room together. Charlie will want to stay with Ruby, and obviously I'll want to stay with you."  
>"No kidding. What's wrong with you and her now?"<br>"Well in case you didn't realise, we had a fight," Brax said bluntly.  
>"So? You two can sort things out. You two are old enough; communicate to each other for heaven's sake. Don't let your problems get in the way of Ruby and I," Casey said angrily. "You love her Brax, talk to her. You were happy with her, don't let one fight ruin everything."<br>"You heard what she said," Brax glared.  
>"Yeah, well I'm sure she didn't mean it. She understands you like nobody ever has."<br>"You can't be too sure Case. She's a cop."  
>Casey sighed. "Far out Brax, don't keep using that excuse. You two have coped with it for awhile now."<br>Brax knew his brother didn't understand. Mainly because Casey was the Braxton everyone liked. He was the one who was never off the rails. He was the one who kept everything together and kept his head down. He didn't get involved with any of the stuff us boys got up to. He hangs around with people everyone likes. Ruby, April, Xavier, Dex, Romeo... He didn't hang out with the boys. Nobody judged Casey as badly like they judged the rest of the boys, especially Brax.  
>Casey spoke again before giving his brother the chance to. "I love Ruby. We're going to stay in the same room despite what you and Charlie have to say. If you don't like it that way, then I guess you will have to arrange some schedule with Charlie so that you don't run into each other, although I'm only going to say this once. You and Charlie have been through too much to let it all die away now over the silliest problem." Casey left his brother alone in the corridor and went back into Ruby's room.<p> 


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>After Casey left me on my own, I stayed outside pondering on what he had said to me. Not only had there been a strong relationship between Charlie and I, there was a strong relationship between me and Ruby as well. Because Ruby didn't exactly have a father to look up to, she would always come to me if she had problems when she needed an adult other than Charlie to talk to. I didn't want to lose that relationship with her because she was the closest thing to a daughter I have right now seeing as we all found out that Heath was Darcy's father.

Casey was right about Charlie and I. We have been through a whole lot together; well at least a lot more than any ordinary couple who have been together for a few months. We've also had to overcome heaps more problems which were probably way bigger than this. The only difference being is that this involved family. There were already enough people targeting our family, and to think Charlie's one of them... What difference did it make if it was an accident? She still thought and said it. At least she's apologised unlike most people.

Ruby's P.O.V.  
><span>Ever since Casey came back into the room, he had been acting strangely. Whenever I asked him what the problem was, and instead of telling me like we always do, he denied that there even was a problem. I'd had enough of this so I asked Charlie to give us some space in case Casey did want to tell me privately.

Neither Casey nor I spoke after Charlie went outside. I stared at his bright blue eyes which had now gone extremely dull. I figured this might have had something to do with us moving into the same room seeing as that's what he and Brax probably spoke about outside. I decided to have a stab in the dark. "Don't you want us to stay in the same room together anymore?" I asked.  
>"No, I mean yes, but that's not what the problem is," he replied vaguely.<br>"Then can you tell me what the problem is?"  
>"I don't know Rubes, I don't think I'm the right person to tell you. It doesn't even concern me," he said.<br>"Then who is the right person to tell me? Who do I ask? What is it even about?" I interrogated him.  
>"Just ask Charlie," he said, and left immediately.<p>

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Casey completely ignored me when he came out. He kept his head low and hurried down the corridor, I'm assuming to find Brax. I let myself into Ruby's room. Oddly enough, she had her arms wrapped around a pillow and her face was quite pale. "What's wrong?" I asked.  
>She didn't take long to jump back at me. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"<br>I was confused. _What had Casey said to her?_ I asked myself. "Nothing's wrong with me." I told her.  
>"Casey wouldn't lie to me like that. Can you please just tell me what's wrong?"<br>"I assure you everything is fine," I said again.  
>"Right. So Casey told me there's something going on with you that doesn't involve me or him. It involves you, and probably Brax as well," she said.<br>I gave in. She would find out sooner or later. "Brax and I had a fight."  
>She started asking me questions already. "I'm not even finished yet. Just hear me out okay?" I said. She nodded in response. "It was a really small fight, but I guess Brax took it the wrong way."<br>"Right, so you're blaming this on Brax?" she yelled. "A fight works both ways you know."  
>"I know, I know," I said, trying to calm her down at the same time.<br>"What did you say?" she asked.  
>"I judged his family the wrong way..." I said ashamedly.<br>Ruby had a go at me immediately. "What? Are you kidding me? Enough people do that around here. You're his girlfriend. The last time I checked, you're one of those people who aren't suppose to judge him and are suppose to defend the Braxton's when people do," she shouted. She gradually calmed down and asked if I had said sorry yet. What was she thinking? Of course I had. I didn't mention how many times I had though. "Can you please go and find Brax?" she asked me.  
>"I don't think he wants to see me right now..." I told her.<br>"Fine, I'll text him but can you give us some space?"  
>"Yeah, I'll go to the diner and get some food for you," I said.<p>

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Ruby told me to come in immediately after I had knocked on her door. She had asked to see me, and I couldn't reject her. Hoping she still hadn't known about what had gone down between me and Charlie, I casually asked her how she was. Instead, she reverted the question back to me. I was slightly confused, but answered her anyways. I told her I was fine, but she raised an eyebrow to show that she didn't believe me. "I know about you and Charlie," she said suddenly.  
>"What did she tell you?" I asked.<br>"It wasn't her. It was Casey but Charlie gave me the details. You can't give up on her Brax; I know she doesn't mean it. You two have to give it another go."  
>Ruby started to say exactly what Casey had said. How could their two minds work so in sync? No wonder they loved each other. This brought me back to Charlie and I. We were alike, despite our different backgrounds.<br>"Do you love her?" Ruby asked, interrupting my thoughts.  
>I was a little thrown back by this question. Nobody had ever asked me this. I hadn't even told my mum, Heath, or Casey. Charlie and I always talked about our feelings towards each other together privately. I fiddled with my fingers, not knowing how to answer this. Ruby was like my daughter so it shouldn't be too awkward should it?<br>"Well, do you love her?" she repeated.  
>I looked down, and quietly whispered yes.<br>"Well Brax, there you go," she said.


	25. Chapter 25

_Thank you so so so much for reading, subscribing, reviewing and adding this story to your favourites. I appreciate them heaps and it really helps me write because I know what you guys are thinking. It would be awesome if you could all keep reviewing, and perhaps start reviewing this story if you don't already. Thank you to those who tweet (xLincolnYFanx) me their feedback too. Just to clarify any confusion before you read this chapter, the whole storyline where Angelo told Charlie that the River Boys were getting crop from the National Park on the actual show never happened in this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise there is a lot more Chax to come. xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Five **

_**-Two weeks later-**_

Even after hearing about what Casey and Ruby had to say, Brax didn't get back with Charlie. He would see her here and there, but a nod to greet each other was as far as they would go. It didn't make things easier as Casey and Ruby started to see each other even more. Due to their injuries, they relied on either Charlie or Brax to take them to and from places. Looking after the two teenagers had taken up most of their time until now. Casey and Ruby were recovering fast and no longer needed so much help from Charlie and Brax. They had a lot more time on their hands. Instead of sneaking around with Brax like she usually did, Charlie would stop by the diner to eat her lunch. Brax, on the other hand, would just remain at Angelo's. To take her mind off things, Charlie would join Bianca, Leah, Roo, Irene and Marilyn at their girl's night. It wasn't the same as having Brax around, but it was better than sitting on the couch alone at home. Brax returned to spending most of his time with the River Boys when he wasn't working. Obviously the boys and girls wondered why the sudden turnaround of Brax and Charlie hanging out with them, but they both mumbled something about needing more of a social life.

Without Charlie by his side; literally watching his every move and keeping him in line, Brax spent most of his days out late. There were mostly times when Casey was the only one in the Braxton household. He usually kept to himself, meaning he had nothing to do with what his brothers got up to and would mainly hang out with Ruby, Xavier, Dex and April. Brax and Heath kept their distance from the rest of the Summer Bay residents. Unlike how he use to, Brax didn't check up on Casey so often. He just assumed that his youngest brother was getting on with his school work and if he had a problem, Casey would come to him about it if none of his friends were the right people to talk to. Although Brax didn't say so himself, but it was obvious to everyone that he had returned to being the leader of the River Boys.

Like the old days, Brax and Heath would spend their nights out partying around the campfire on the beach. They usually didn't return home until the next morning to grab their surfboards to go out in the waves. Fortunately for Brax; being the owner of Angelo's, he could take drinks out of the restaurant whenever he wanted. This led to the restaurant losing stock, but it hadn't affected it too much yet. If the boys weren't drinking or surfing, they would usually be fighting in a playful manner or having a quick game of footy. Sometimes they would take their trail bikes up to the National Park and would ride around the area or race against each other.

Brodie, Pee Wee and Rick had just returned from a bike ride and were awfully eager to talk to Heath. They pulled him away while the other boys were about to go in for a surf. Brax looked at them curiously. He told the other boys to go into the water and remained standing on the sand. Heath didn't know what was going on. He just stood opposite Brodie, Pee Wee and Rick who hadn't talked or moved since. The three boys didn't want to say anything to Heath in front of Brax because they didn't know what the oldest Braxton would do. Brax had been out of action with the boys for a few months and Heath had been the one whom the other boys consulted everything with. "What do you boys want?" Brax asked. Brodie, Pee Wee and Rick avoided Brax's gaze and started kicking the sand in front of them. Brax spoke up again. "Boys?"  
>Brodie decided to take control of the conversation. "I know we haven't done this in ages, but while we were riding around the park, we noticed there were quite a lot of crops waiting to be harvested. We noticed this awhile ago, and we thought someone would have taken it by now, but obviously not. We were wondering... Ya know... If um..." His voice drifted off. Fortunately, Brax knew where he was going with this. Brax also understood why the boys wanted to speak to Heath instead because he had been the leader while Brax was with Charlie; not that any of the boys knew he had been sleeping with a cop.<br>"Do you want us to deal with it?" Heath asked bluntly. None of the four boys were surprised to hear this. It was something typical for Heath to say. He asked questions with the most obvious answer.  
>"Yeah, what do you think?" replied Brodie.<br>"I don't see why not," Brax answered without any hesitation. If he was still with Charlie, he wouldn't have agreed. In fact, if the boys wanted to, he would talk them out of it. He knew how much Charlie was against this, especially seeing as she's a cop. It didn't matter now because Brax was being his old self again. This was the easiest way for the River Boys to make money. If they got all the money, a lot of it could go for more stock at Angelo's. Everyone in the town already had bad impressions on the boys so they wouldn't exactly ask where the sudden money came from. They had been doing this for quite awhile and it wouldn't hurt to do it again. There was a small difference this time from every other time. Casey was old enough and had hung out with the boys more often. Brax didn't want his youngest brother to know anything about this. Firstly, Casey would probably go ballistic, and would then tell Ruby who would tell Charlie. Brax told the other boys to keep this quiet, and could only talk about this among each other. They settled on going in two days time. That way it gave them enough time to gather all the equipment they needed, and the day was fairly close so that hopefully nobody would have harvested the crop before they did.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six **

As soon as Casey walked into Angelo's to start his delivering shift the next afternoon, Brax pulled him into the back store room. "I want you to take care of the restaurant tomorrow. I'll give you the keys and you can be the boss for a day," he said to his youngest brother. Casey, being the smart and curious Braxton, obviously had questions. "What about Heath?" he asked. "He's the one who usually takes control when you're not around."  
>"He'll be busy with me," answered Brax.<br>"What with?" Casey questioned.  
>"Nothing you need to know," said Brax. "Just tell me you can stay here tomorrow?"<br>"I had plans with Ruby."  
>"Cancel them," Brax said immediately.<br>"I can't just cancel on her."  
>"Yes you can, I'm sure you do all the time. Surely she cancels on you too."<br>"Tomorrow is suppose to be my day off," Casey said angrily. "Besides, I'm only ever the delivery boy. What about Liam? Can't he take over?"  
>"No, he's busy."<br>Casey wasn't pleased with this at all. He shot his brother a glaring look. "How come when I'm busy I have to cancel my plans, yet you accept the fact that Liam's busy?"  
>"Because you're my brother-"<br>"Yeah, my brother not my dad," interrupted Casey.  
>"Yeah, whatever. You can go and start your shift now," said Brax. Casey knew better than to argue with his brother. Brax always seemed to get what he wanted because he was the oldest brother of the three.<p>

Brodie and Heath walked into Angelo's just as Casey was about to leave for his third pizza delivery. He noticed that the two boys pulled Brax outside. They started whispering between each other suspiciously. Heath looked slightly nervous and kept glancing to and from the restaurant's entrance as if he was afraid of somebody finding out about what they were discussing. From what Casey could see, it looked like Brax was going to take everything in control. _How typical,_ he thought. Brodie, on the other hand, was the same as Heath. He looked just as nervous. All Casey could think about was what the three boys were up to. Casey headed towards them, wanting to find out what was going on. He pretended like he needed to talk to Brax.

Neither Brax, nor Brodie, nor Heath saw Casey coming towards them. When Casey was roughly half a metre away from the boys, that's when they nudged each other and suddenly stopped talking. "What do you want Casey?" asked an annoyed Heath. Brax shot his brother a quick death stare, hoping he would get the message to stop talking and he would handle it with Casey.  
>"I just needed to talk to Brax..." replied Casey slowly.<br>"Alright then. Come with me Case," Brax said and led his youngest brother back into the restaurant, in front of the bar. "Yes?" he asked.  
>In a flash, Casey came up with the stupidest question. "Can Ruby come here with me tomorrow?"<br>Brax looked at him as if he was slightly out of it. "No," he replied sarcastically. He then saw his brother's face expression. "Only joking mate," he said. "Of course you can as long as you have the restaurant under control." Casey sighed. "Now if you don't mind, I have some stuff to do with the boys," Brax added hastily.

Casey watched as his oldest brother hurried back to Heath and Brodie. _Brax didn't seem like himself,_ Casey thought. _Neither did Heath nor Brodie. _The only reason Casey could think of was that the boys were hiding something. They hardly ever stopped in the middle of something when someone interrupted them unless it was a secret. They even had to notify each other that Casey was heading to them. Nobody does that in a normal conversation. Casey noticed that once he had gone to them, Heath couldn't stand still and Brodie started fiddling with his fingers. Brax seemed to be the only one who didn't do anything odd, although that was unusual. He always knew what he was doing, and always seemed to be capable of talking himself out of trouble or awkward situations.

Casey jumped onto his scooter to deliver pizzas to Irene's house. He took the quickest route along the beach. Noticing that the River Boys were the only ones on the beach who were huddled as close as he had ever seen them, he slowed down a little. He tried to catch bits of the conversation, but all he heard were the words "equipment," "park," "trail bikes," and "vans." The hand gestures by the boys weren't much of a giveaway as there were no gestures. All the boys had their arms folded tightly. Out of the corner of his eye, Casey noticed Pee Wee taking a small plastic bag out of his pocket. Casey squinted to look closer at the bag. The letters "M" and "W" were labelled on them. _"This made more sense now,"_ Casey said to himself. He couldn't believe his brothers were at it again. Everything the boys did was familiar to him again. Every time before they got more crops, they would carry around those bags. Obviously they were heading into the national park with equipment in vans and some of the boys on bikes. Usually Casey would want to go along with them because he thought it was cool, but he had finally learnt. The boys could get into serious trouble. He needed to stop them before they started. Heath had already been busted many times by the cops at Mangrove River. He didn't want to see it happen again so he headed into the opposite direction to talk to Brax again.

Casey stormed into Angelo's. He pulled Brax from behind the bar and into the store room.  
>"What the heck do you want Casey?" Brax yelled.<br>"You have to stop," Casey ordered. "You can't go through all this trouble again. I thought you knew better as you've been with Charlie, but obviously not. She kept you in line Brax. You tried to get out of this, but guess what? You've been sucked into it again. When Heath wanted to do this, you'd tell him it was no good, but I guess you're just a hypocrite."  
>Brax pretended to look puzzled. He acted as if he knew nothing about what Casey was going on about. "Don't look at me like that. I know you know what I'm talking about." Casey shouted.<br>"Keep your voice down mate," Brax whispered loudly. "What are you talking about?"  
>Brax was never this thick; obviously some of Heath's personality had rubbed off to him. "The national park, the equipment, plants... Do you want me to go on?" Casey said angrily.<br>Brax went bright red and knew Casey was onto him. "When are you going?" Casey asked, and that's when it hit him. He spoke up again. "You're going tomorrow aren't you? That's why you want me to look after the restaurant isn't it?"  
>Brax nodded slowly. "Look Case, you have to keep quiet about this."<br>"Why are you even going?" Casey demanded. "You haven't done this in ages."  
>"I need the money."<br>"Dude, you've got a perfectly fine restaurant going here."  
>"Yeah, well the stock for the restaurant needs to be paid for doesn't it?"<br>"No, they just give it to you for free," Casey said with the biggest amount of sarcasm.  
>"Just keep your mouth shut about this," Brax commanded.<br>"Fine, whatever you say," replied Casey and walked out of the restaurant angrily. He knew there was no way to stop this. Once Brax had an idea in his head, there was no way you could get it out of your head. Brax was the most stubborn person you could ever come across.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven **

"What was that all about?" Heath asked Brax. He had just come out of the bathroom and had seen Casey race out of the restaurant. "The little boy has girl troubles?" Heath joked.  
>"There's no time to kid around," Brax said firmly, and dragged his brother all the way to the store room.<br>"Ouch! A man has feelings," Heath shouted. He hated it when his brother pulled at him.  
>Brax glared at him. "Casey knows," he said.<br>"About what?" Heath asked bluntly.  
>"Tomorrow."<br>"He's a kid Brax. He's probably just fooling around," Heath said all knowingly.  
>"He's not a kid anymore Heath. He's old enough. Besides, he had all the details."<br>It had finally hit Heath. "Are you serious? How did he find out?"  
>"That's not the point."<br>"Then what is?" Heath asked.  
>"What do you think Heath? He could tell someone?"<br>"He wouldn't. We're his brothers; we're literally all he's got. If we go behind bars, who will look after him?"  
>"Well in case you've forgotten, Case and Ruby are pretty cosy," Brax reminded.<br>"He would know better than to rat us out on a cop's daughter."  
>"Don't be too sure," said Brax.<br>"Mate, he trusts you. You look after him. He listens to you all the time. Tell him to keep this to himself."  
>"I have," Brax said, raising his voice.<br>"You don't think he will?"  
>Brax looked down, and shook his head slowly. Casey was so distant from the River Boys.<br>"Dude, I'm pretty sure if you and I weren't apart of the boys, Casey would be best friends with the coppers," Brax said.

It was ten o'clock the next morning. From his house's window, Casey watched the other River Boys help Brax and Heath with a truckload of equipment. Two vans were parked up on the driveway. With Summer Bay being such a small town, Casey was surprised that nobody suspected anything; probably because the vans were parked around the corner from the street view of the house. Machetes, shovels, spades and who knows how many bags were being piled into the vans. Casey didn't even want to think about where his brothers and the boys had gotten all this equipment from, although for a fact, Casey knew Brax and Heath had dodgy contacts.

Casey continued to look out the window. He watched as Brax drove one van away, with Brodie in the other van, following behind Brax closely. He knew he couldn't let his brothers get on with it. The boys were on his mind. He didn't even bother opening Angelo's and remained still on the couch in front of the window. Piles of study notes were placed on a stool directly opposite him and the book he was studying for English was placed on his lap, yet he kept staring intently out the window. He knew the boys had just left, but he longed for them to change their minds and turn their vans around to return home. Unfortunately, this was just his imagination being unrealistic. The boys, especially Heath, would never turn against an opportunity like this.

One hour had already passed, yet it felt like a whole day for Casey. He still hadn't moved from where he was before, but he had gotten up once to grab some snacks from the pantry. The thought of where the boys were going to stash the drugs had only just come across his mind. Seeing as Brax and Heath were the most popular in the gang, they were bound to hide it in their house. If not, the drugs would be split between the boys. Casey was hoping the drugs wouldn't be at his house. If anyone did find them, not only would it be Brax and Heath's fault, it would be his fault too. This would lead to him being questioned by the police, even if he had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Casey couldn't stand it any longer. He hadn't heard from Brax or Heath. Usually, if Brax left Casey in charge of the restaurant, he would be checking up on him all the time. Obviously, they were too busy. Casey kept hitting against his pocket, wondering why there was no bulge and how he couldn't feel anything apart from the material of his board shorts. That when it hit him. His phone wasn't even on him. In fact, it was nowhere near him. Brax or Heath could've called, yet he wouldn't have even known. Casey paced around the house, looking for his phone. It wasn't on the kitchen bench where he usually had it. Oddly enough, it was still on the bedside table in his room. _"I obviously haven't turned it on yet,"_ Casey said to himself. He picked his phone up and turned it on. He waited patiently for it to get started, and five new messages had popped up. Unfortunately, they weren't from either of his brothers. They were bound to be hard at work; probably making most of the time they had in case they did get caught. The messages Casey had received were all from Ruby. _"Yes, of course! We were suppose to hanging out today!"_ thought Casey. She was asking where he was. He quickly flicked back a reply, telling her to come over. Not long after, she texted him again. _"Good because Charlie's here. We can have some privacy at your place," _the text read. "Charlie!" Casey shouted out of nowhere. She was the only one who could stop the boys. He told Ruby to stay at her house and said he was coming over. Ruby was always such a curious girl and asked why. Casey didn't message her back. He just raced out of the house in a flash.

Soon enough, Casey was knocking furiously on Ruby's door. She quickly opened it and wanted to know why he was panting so badly. "I need to talk to Charlie urgently," he said, taking deep breaths in between.  
>"Why?" asked Ruby.<br>"I just need to talk to her. Like right now. Can you get her? Please?" Casey begged.  
>Ruby looked hesitant but did as her boyfriend asked. She shouted Charlie's name. Fortunately, she was only in the room next door. Charlie didn't have any time to greet Casey because he had already started to talk. "Charlie, you've got to get to the National Park. Brax, Heath and the rest of the boys are there now, trying to get some crop. They've got all the equipment. I tried to stop them as soon as I found out about it, but you know Brax, he wouldn't listen," Casey said in a low voice, hoping nobody would overhear their conversation.<br>"Wait, Brax is going for drugs again?" Ruby asked looking shocked.  
>Casey ignored her and turned to Charlie. "I don't want them to get in trouble, but I don't want them with the drugs. Can you please go to them? I don't know what else to do."<br>Charlie was too shocked for words. She never thought Brax would return to that scene again. "He wouldn't," was all she said.  
>"I wouldn't lie about something like this. We're wasting time here. Can you please go?" Casey asked again.<br>"Why didn't you go?" responded Charlie.  
>"He won't listen to me. To him, I'm just a kid," Casey said sadly.<br>"Alright, I'll go," Charlie said, and went off to grab her keys. Once she returned to the door, the expression on Casey's face showed that he was ever so grateful. He thanked Charlie before she left.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Casey and Ruby watched as Charlie sped off out of the driveway, heading to the National Park. Ruby considered on following Charlie in her car, but Casey told her not to. He didn't want his girlfriend wrapped up in all this. Casey was grateful that Charlie took her everyday car instead of patrol car as it seemed more personal and less work related. He was hoping Charlie would be able to stop things before they were too serious which will lead them to being on the record. Even though Brax and Charlie had broken up awhile ago, there was that little bit in Casey who hoped that Charlie still had a soft spot for his brother and would let the boys off easy.

It wasn't until when Charlie was in sight of the National Park where it had hit her that the River Boys were back to doing what they previously did. She thought that Brax out of all people would've been able to change the rest of the boys' idea, but obviously he was the leader of it all again. _When we were going out, I swore he had changed for the better, but I guess that didn't last long, did it... _Charlie thought in her head. Tears started to swell up in her eyes. They started to drip down her face. Thankfully, a packet of tissues were lying in the compartment of her car. She couldn't believe she was dumb enough to think that Brax would have changed forever. As people do say, "you can never change a bad boy". Reminding herself that she was here to help out Casey, she took a tissue out of the packet and carefully wiped her tears away. She then pulled up the hand brake and parked her car far away from where the boys were so that they couldn't see her. She didn't want to alert them in case they would run away. Fortunately, her car was quite small so the engine couldn't be heard. The boys were too involved with what they were doing so they hadn't seen her yet either.

As Charlie got out of the car and walked closer and closer to the River Boys, the scene became clearer to her. Brax's black ute and another white ute were parked next to each other, just behind the metal fence next to the entrance. Three dirt bikes were parked not too far away from the utes. Two white vans had entered the park and the back doors were left wide open. A few full black bags were sitting against the van doors. Charlie assumed there were drugs in the bags. The River Boys were surrounding the vans. A few were holding machetes, while others had shovels tightly gripped by their hands. Then there was Brax, who was pacing to and from the boys, _probably supervising them,_ Charlie thought. She could sense the smell of newly harvested crops. So could anyone who walked past if the boys weren't careful.

Brax heard footsteps coming from the entrance. He thought it was one of the boys who had perhaps gone to get something from the cars, but saw that all the boys were present in front of him. _It can't be the cops, they would've arrested us by now, or shouted at us at the very least, _he thought. _Oh no, not Casey. He was the only other person who knew we were here. He can't be involved with this stuff. _Brax turned around, thinking it would be his brother behind him, but no; he ended up being face to face with Charlie.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>My mouth was wide open and I was too shocked for words. "What are you doing here?" I asked. She didn't answer me, but started crying right in front of me instead. As soon as this happened, I regretted coming here straight away. I hadn't wanted her to know about this. I knew she would be extremely disappointed in me, that is exactly why I didn't want Casey telling anyone about this. "I'm sorry Charlie," I said. My apology didn't seem to make things better; she remained in tears on the spot. At least she didn't run away, I thought slowly... She accepted the tissue I handed her and began to wipe the tears off her face. "Why Brax, why?" was all she said. I looked at her, and was incredibly ashamed of myself. I had let her believe that I had changed, and that I wouldn't go back to this.  
>"Holy crap, Brax, what's Buckton doing here?" Pee Wee shouted to me.<br>"Boys, give us a minute," I told them all.  
>I led Charlie towards the shaded trees. I tried to explain myself, but she wouldn't listen. She kept telling me that there was no explanation. "You're fine with doing this aren't you? You just didn't want me to find out about it!" she shouted.<br>"I didn't want anyone to find out," I told her. "This was the only way I could get money."  
>"What about Angelo's?" she demanded. "From what I can see, the restaurant seems to be going perfectly fine."<br>"I need money for the stock. We keep having to go and buy stock."  
>"Oh yeah, and who's fault would that be?" she retorted.<br>"What's that suppose to mean?"  
>"Don't lie Brax. I've seen you and the boys constantly drinking on the beach."<br>"Do you know why that is?" I asked her.  
>"Because you lied to me? You told me you had changed, and here I was, stupid enough to believe you. I wouldn't be surprised if you did this behind my back when we were going out," she shouted.<br>"Keep your voice down," I whispered, but it was too late.  
>"So that's where Brax was before! No wonder you were never with us. Sleeping with a copper huh?" Heath said, coming towards us.<br>"Shut up mate," I told him.  
>"Think you're better than us, do ya bro?" he continued. I gave him a death stare, clear enough to tell him to piss off.<br>"See, I wasn't doing this behind your back," I told Charlie.  
>"I just want you to stop Brax. Please? If the cops find you-"<br>"Well one already has, hasn't she?" I joked.  
>"I'm not going to arrest you. Casey wanted me to come here to stop you guys. He didn't want you involved with this. He literally sprinted to my house. You should've seen how freaked out he looked. Sometimes I ask myself how Casey's not the oldest Braxton. He's looking out for you, Heath and the other boys," she said. "Can you please tell me why you're at this again though? The real reason?" she added.<br>"I miss you Charlie. You kept me grounded," I replied.  
>There was a long awkward silence. I was waiting for her to say something, but she didn't. Instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around me.<p> 


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I kept holding onto the hug. I didn't let her pull away, and it seems as if she didn't let me pull away either. A huge grin was spread across my face. I wanted to kiss Charlie so badly, but I had to fight the urge not to in case it made things worse. I didn't know if this meant if we were back together or not. I know I was the one who broke things off in the first place, but I'm not too sure what's going through Charlie's mind at the moment. I wanted to ask her, but I didn't want to ruin the moment.

Heath's P.O.V.  
><span>I left the boys in the middle of the crop and wandered back to where Brax was. It was hard to see what was going on as there was a massive tree right in front of him and Charlie. All I could see was his big back. I walked closer to them, and that's when I realised he had his arms tightly around Charlie. I was about to speak up until I noticed how peaceful it was around them. You could only hear the birds chirping. The wind was blowing Charlie's hair, and I have to admit, they did look incredibly cute. I turned around and walked back the way I came from; deciding that it was best to leave them as they were.

"Where's Brax?" The boys shouted at me, as soon as they saw me return.  
>"Uh..." I didn't know how to say this, although I guess Pee Wee already knew. "He's with Charlie near the mini rainforest," I told them.<br>"With Charlie..?" Brodie repeated.  
>"Brax is sleeping with a pig," Pee Wee said. I shot him a death stare.<br>"Don't jump to conclusions buddy," I said, but they could all see through me.  
>"He is, isn't he?" Mick asked.<br>"I don't know... They were hugging before and I didn't want to interrupt them," I explained.  
>"Let's go to them now," Pee Wee said, and started leading the boys away.<br>"Boys, don't. He'll get worked up," I said firmly, but they wouldn't listen. They continued with making their way towards Brax.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Eventually Charlie pulled herself away from me. She gazed up at my eyes and smiled. She kissed me lightly, and I immediately returned a much longer and sloppier kiss. "I've missed you," she whispered.  
>"I have too," I said. "I'm sorry for what happened between us."<br>"Me too. I'm sorry for everything I said to hurt you and your family. I didn't mean to," she said softly.  
>"It's alright. As long as I have you by my side, it's all that matters," I told her.<br>"So uh... Does that mean we're back-" I kissed her on the lips again, which stopped her from finishing her question.  
>"Does that answer your question?" I asked her cheekily. Instead of replying, she smiled at me widely.<p>

Heath's P.O.V.  
><span>I followed the boys and told them to not do anything that would embarrass Brax. Fortunately they listened to me as Brax was the leader of us boys, and we all knew better than to get on the wrong side of him. We all knew what he was capable of. Once we reached to wear Brax was, I noticed that he and Charlie had moved forwards a little, so that they were at a more viewable sight. This time, the two of them were kissing. Some of the boys started whistling. I gave Mick, who was closest to me, a little nudge, and he stopped immediately. Obviously Brax had heard them, and he and Charlie pulled away from each other. He tried to regain his River Boy side, but none of the boys took him seriously. "Uh... Boys... What are you doing here?" he asked.  
>None of the boys hesitated at all. "We could ask Buckton the same question," Pee Wee, Brodie and Rob said in unison.<p>

Brax and Charlie kept exchanging glances, but none of us knew what was going through their minds. Charlie leaned over to my brother and whispered something into his ear. Brax nodded in reply and began to speak. "So um... There's something we want to tell you, but you guys have to keep it a secret."  
>"Are you two getting married?" Mick joked. Charlie shot him a glance and he kept to himself straight away.<br>"Uh... Not quite yet mate," Brax responded. "We're going out," he announced.  
>The boys, who had seen the whole kiss, weren't surprised at all. In fact, there were a few compliments at hand. "Quite the cute couple, ya know..." Rob said. Some of the younger boys muttered in agreement.<br>"What's funny is that one of you is a fat big and the other, well, is smoking," Brodie said. Brax walked over to him and gave him a friendly punch.  
>"You've definitely got one of those statements right," he said. "Although the idea... It's quite the opposite actually." We all smirked at how ridiculous he was being.<p>

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I was actually quite surprised at how well the boys responded to this. My initial thought was that they would start threatening and criticising me. I finally decided to speak up. "You guys are alright with this?" I asked.  
>"Well you are one of them... A pig..." Brodie started. I saw Brax giving him a good old glare.<br>"Nah, you're alright. Yeah, you have been having a go at us but at least you're hot," Pee Wee said. "Although I'm not too sure what us boys would've done if Brax was sleeping with Watson," he continued.  
>"Haha hey, don't have a go at my colleague!" I said, in Georgina's defense.<br>"Eh... You know we were only joking," Brodie said, trying to wave it all off.  
>"Yeah, yeah," I kidded.<br>"You're not too bad out of the uniform," Heath said. "You've been pretty good to Casey too... Wait, hang on!" he said suddenly. "No wonder you two are so close with Case and Ruby! They know, don't they?"  
>"They knew before the break up," Brax said.<br>"You guys broke up..?" Heath asked.  
>Brax looked at me, literally telling me to take charge and explain the story. "Well we were together, then we fought, and now we're back together," I said, in the simplest term.<br>"How long have you been together?" they asked.  
>"Hey, hey, stop interrogating her!" Brax shouted. I grinned at him.<br>"Nah, it's all good babe," I replied.  
>"So why did you come here?" asked Leo.<br>"Well actually, Casey was the one who wanted me to come. He was the one who wanted me to stop you guys from doing this..." I said slowly.  
>"That's too late now..." replied Heath.<br>"Mate, there's no way we're leaving all this stuff behind. The cops will find it," Brodie shouted.  
>"They already have, idiot," said Pee Wee.<p> 


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I was too wrapped up with getting back together with Charlie and had completely forgotten about the crops even though we were right in the middle of the National Park. "We're right here. You can arrest us babe," I said to Charlie. All the boys looked at me in shock. I didn't want to get arrested, although I figured this was the easiest and most genuine way to let Charlie know that I knew it was a bad idea to come here, and all of us boys should pay for our mistake. The boys shot glares at me. They knew we were family and we weren't suppose to turn one another in. In saying that, I felt a little guilty as I knew the boys would never turn me in, especially seeing as I'm the leader of the gang.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I had gotten myself into too many risks today. The fact that I was the person Casey turned to was out of line. We both knew Brax and I were no longer seeing as each other. Now I couldn't thank Casey more. If it wasn't for him, Brax and I would probably still be hardly taking a glance at each other if we saw one another in the bay. Being a police officer, it's obvious that if we saw any illegal actions while being on patrol or off patrol, we were suppose to do something about it. Instead of doing so, I ended up making up with my secret boyfriend, who everyone would be against if they ever found out. Once we had made up, we started kissing in a public place. Anyone who respected me could've walked past, and that would've been the end of my career. There would've also been a possibility that I could've been charged for associating with known criminals. Fortunately, luck was on my side.

There were too many thoughts boiling up in my head. Brax's words kept repeating over and over again in my head. _"We're right here. You can arrest us babe," "We're right here. You can arrest us babe," "We're right here. You can arrest us babe." _A smiled a little inside when he had called me babe. It was like the old times again. I looked down, getting the feeling that every one of those boys were looking back at me; wondering what I would do with them. After everything I had said to Brax, and I knew how offended he had been, I couldn't do this to him. I couldn't arrest him. If I did, I could lose him again and there was no way in hell I would risk for that to happen again.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I wasn't aware of what the time was, or how much time had gone by, but it seemed like hours since anyone last spoke. We were all waiting for Charlie to make a decision. She kept her head low, and none of us knew what was going through her mind. The birds chirping and the wind passing were the only sounds we could hear. The boys started to fake cough, as if they wanted Charlie to hurry up. I shot them a glance, telling them to stop making any kind of sounds, as rushing Charlie wouldn't go in our favour.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I finally broke the silence. "The cops haven't found it," I said. Everybody looked up at me, without having a clue about what I was trying to say. "I'm not going to call for back up. I'm not even going to go to my car to get handcuffs."  
>"Geezus Charlie, keeping handcuffs in your ordinary car..? Isn't that what we would call a tad bit intense?" Brodie said. Luckily, I noticed that he was snickering and smirking. If he was serious, I may have reconsidered my decision and would only arrest him.<br>"After being a cop for as long as I have, you'll realise that they will always come in handy," I joked.  
>"Yeah, not so sure any of us boys would want to be a cop..." Brodie replied cheekily.<br>"Anyways, as I was saying," I continued, "I will let you guys go, but on one condition." I was about to let them know what it was, but I was interrupted by Brax.  
>"We know Charlie," he said.<br>"Speak for yourself mate," Heath shouted. Obviously Heath, being the bluntest one of them all, didn't really pick it up.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>I took over from Charlie as I didn't want any of the boys hassling her. "We have to leave the stuff here boys," I announced. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlie giving me a slight smile so that it wasn't too obvious for the boys. She was grateful that we were both on the same page.  
>"Are you kidding me?" Pee Wee shouted.<br>"Mate, do you know how long it took for us to get all this stuff? Firstly planning all this, then getting all our equipment, and now coming here without getting caught... Do you even realise how hard we work? Oh wait, all you do is run past our ideas." Mick yelled angrily.  
>I knew this was coming. I was aware that none of the boys would agree with this. Even if most of them didn't do drugs themselves, they were still after the money that they would receive after dealing them out to everyone.<br>"Look, if we take this with us, there's a chance that at least one of us will get caught. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure none of us want to get caught?" I said. No words came out of any of the boys' mouths, although many of them nodded in agreement.  
>"Do you get it now mate?" I asked him.<br>"Yeah, yeah, you're always right aren't you?" he said in annoyance.  
>I ignored Mick's comment and continued speaking. "Now, we can't leave this in an open area. We have to empty the bags and we can't take the bags with us. The smell will travel with us, and the cops will notice. Try to dig up some holes and bury the plants. If you can't, throw them in the bin. Is that clear?"<br>The boys nodded and started heading back to the open field.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Brax was starting to turn away to follow the boys. I called out his name before he could go any further. He turned his head around. "Come here," I said, and he did so. I was about to speak but I put my finger over his mouth. "You're amazing you know," I whispered into his ear. I looked into his blue eyes and then smiled shyly. I leaned in for a kiss. Fortunately, neither Brax nor I pulled away and it was just like the old times. I could smell the sexy scent of his body. He gently pulled away and thanked me. "There's no need," I replied. "I'm not going to let anything get in the way of us again." He smiled at me gratefully.  
>"I better go off and help the boys," he said. I closely followed as he walked away. He looked back to see what I was doing. "Your car is that way," he said.<br>"I know, but I'm going to help you," I replied.  
>Brax walked back to me and reached for my hand. "Thank you," he whispered.<p> 


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Hand in hand, Charlie and I slowly walked back to where all the boys were. Surprisingly, they weren't mucking around. As the holes each of the boys were digging got bigger and bigger, they began to empty the large bags out. I watched as the marijuana plants slid out of the bags and dropped into the deep holes. Inside me, all I could feel was guilt. It had hit me hard watching this. As much as I knew that this was the right thing to do, I couldn't help but think about how much money was going down the drain.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>It was as if the sky had gone grey and everything was turning upside down. I was paying more attention to Brax rather than looking at how the boys were going with emptying the bags. I highly doubt over ten minutes had passed, yet Brax's smile had turned upside down. Out of the corner of my right eye, I could see the marijuana plants dropping down to the hole. As this happened, I could feel Brax flinching. From the tone of his voice while we were talking to the boys, it assured me that he was all fine with this, however, I wasn't so convinced now.

I wanted to ask Brax what was going through his mind, but I was worried that it may seem like I didn't believe him. As people do say, a good relationship is built on honestly. If two people can't be honest with each other, then everything will go down the hill.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Once we reached to where the boys were, I was about to ask if they needed any help so that it could assure Charlie that I wanted to get rid of all the marijuana, but Heath spoke before me. "Enjoy your love fest buddy; you can leave us to it. We can finish this off while you guys go home," he said.  
>"Are you sure..?" I asked, making it sound like I wanted to stick around.<br>"Yeah, yeah, we're just about done anyways. We don't want the pigs to see Buckton with us all now do we?" he joked.  
>"Well it's not like we would be leaving together..." I said slowly.<br>"Mate, go before I make you stay," he cheekily said.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Seeing as Brax came with the boys to the National Park, and he was leaving before any of them were, I offered him a lift back into town. He accepted, but only on one condition. I was to sit in the passenger seat while he took control of the wheels. Obviously, I expected to this from him as most men would much rather be driving than sitting as a passenger.

As soon as we reached a familiar route which was near the Braxton household, I expected him to turn into the driveway, but he didn't. He drove straight past the intersection that would lead himself to his house and drove towards Leah's place.  
>"Uh... Brax..?" I began to say, but he started to speak on top of me.<br>"Well, ya know how we have been apart for quite a bit, I just thought that we should catch up," he said cheekily. I got the drift and smiled at him flirtatiously.

Brax pulled up in the driveway. I told him to stay in the car while I unlocked the door and paced around the house to make sure no one else was home. To keep things even safer, he bent down so that he couldn't be seen from outside of the car. He kept the car doors locked as well.

Before I reached for my keys in my pocket, I knocked on the door to see if anyone was home. I knocked once and waited for a minute or so, yet nobody came to the door. I knocked again, and the same thing happened. Nobody answered. Reaching for my keys in one hand, and holding the doorknob with the other, I unlocked the door and entered into the house. As soon as I went in, there was utter silence. I wandered in and out of several rooms, and fortunately the coast was clear. I went back outside to let Brax inside.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>A short while later, I heard light footsteps hurrying towards the car. Predicting it was Charlie, I raised my head a little bit higher so that I could see through the window. I looked out, and saw I was right. She had a big cheesy, yet cute smile sprawled on her face. Her mouth started to move, and I tried to lip read. It seemed as if she said nobody was home. I waited for her to come to me instead of getting out of the car myself in case I read her lips wrong.

Before I could pick up what was going on in the outside world; whether anyone was around or not, Charlie's lips were already pressed against mine. I took advantage immediately, and remained kissing her as well. As we were doing so, Charlie slowly edged herself and me closer and closer towards the house. It wasn't until then when I realised we had been kissing in a clearly visible view from the streets.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Brax and I stopped at the front of the door. I felt his hands moving delicately down my face. I could feel my cheeks flushing with redness as he started to rub them. In return, I ran my hands up and down his back smoothly. He gradually started to kiss my neck. Once he stopped, I kicked the front door shut behind us and quickly took him further into the house. I skipped into the living room like an excited little girl, while pulling Brax's hands tightly to follow me.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Charlie and I wasted no time as we stood in between the couch and table. Both of us kissed passionately. My body rubbed against hers as we did so. I quickly took my shirt off with ease, just as Charlie gave me a light push. This led to me falling backwards and landing onto the couch. Charlie, being a petite woman, fell onto my stomach lightly. We resumed to kissing each other, and I couldn't help but smile; thinking about how glad I was that we were back to being together like the old times. It felt so good knowing she was with me again.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty Two **

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>Brax and I spent awhile together at the house. I had to pull away from him now as my shift for work was about to start in the next half hour or so. Fortunately he understood and stood up from the couch; allowing me to go into the bathroom for a quick shower. I mainly tried to wash off any evidence about Brax being with me which luckily didn't take very long. It wasn't until when I turned the shower tap off where I realised my officer uniform was still left in the laundry basket, waiting to be ironed.

I shut the shower door behind me and stood onto the bathroom floor mat. While quickly drying myself, I turned around and scanned my eyes around the bathroom, looking for my bathrobe. Unfortunately, only Ruby and Leah's bathrobes hung on the back of the door. _Dammit,_ I said to myself. I had left it hanging on the door of my bedroom. My bra and underwear wasn't in the bathroom either. _How organised Charlie,_ I thought to myself. Hearing the TV speakers blaring from the room next door, I knew Brax hadn't left the house from earlier before. The living room was the room which connected every other room to each other. It was impossible for me to walk into my own room without him seeing me.

I pulled my towel around me and tucked the ends in; making sure that it was secure before going out of the room. Even if I didn't have any clothes with me, I could at least cover myself up. Hoping Brax wouldn't hear me, I shut the bathroom door as quietly as I possibly could behind me and tip toed lightly down the short hallway. Either way, whether I was walking too loudly, or Brax had really good ears, he heard me coming in. He stood up quickly and smiled a huge cheesy smile. It slowly began to fade away as his eyes gradually grew larger as he kept staring at me.  
>"Charlie..." he said.<p>

I didn't bother answering him as I already knew what happened. My towel had started to feel loose and it slowly slid off. Unintentionally, it began to reveal more and more of my body. It unravelled around my breasts and slid down my body, landing on the ground before I could do anything. Brax winked at me cheekily. "And I get to call you mine," he said.  
>My face instantly flushed red with embarrassment. Usually it was Brax who I saw half naked. All I ever stripped down to was my bra and underwear which was probably awfully familiar to him nowadays. I quickly gathered my towel off the ground and rushed into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me.<p>

That was the worst case scenario. Never in a million years did I ever want that to happen to me. I took deep breaths as I leaned against the door of my room. As much as I loved Brax, I didn't want to go outside my room and see him again. Knowing him, he will most likely always bring it up again and again during every opportunity he would have. I swear I would die of embarrassment if this ever got out. While trying to calm myself down, I pulled my bra and underwear out of the draw. I buckled my bra together and slid my underwear up to meet my hips. The corner of my eye caught sight of the time. _"Crap,"_ I instantly thought. My shift was starting in twenty minutes and I still had to iron my uniform, as well as driving down to the police station.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>On top of the sound of the TV, I heard the doorknob twist. As Charlie was the only other person in the house, I figured it was her coming out of her room. For her sake, I continued to watch TV and pretended as nothing different had happened earlier. As much as I enjoyed the little scene, I tried to keep a straight face to avoid her from embarrassment.  
>"Do you want me to drive you to work?" I asked her, attempting to be polite.<br>"Uh... I'm not too sure if that would be the best idea..." she replied.  
>"That's true... I guess I should go then?" I said.<br>No response came from Charlie. Instead, I heard her going out of the room. I got up from the couch and wandered over to the doorway to see what she was doing. Fortunately for me, I saw her walking towards the laundry room, only wearing her bra and underwear. I couldn't help myself but smile. My smile had lasted a tad bit too long and Charlie saw me as she turned her head around.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>I wasn't too worried that Brax had seen me as if was nothing new. He had seen me like this numerous times. Besides, nothing could have possibly been more embarrassing than what had happened earlier. I smiled back at him, hoping he would get the message that there was no awkwardness.  
>"So uh... Do I go now?" he asked me another time.<br>It didn't worry me so I shrugged my shoulders. He decided to stick around and would leave when I did. Seeing as he wasn't doing anything, I asked him to pull out the iron board while I went off to get the iron itself.

My phone was ringing while I was ironing. It lay on the coffee table, in an arm's reach of Brax.  
>"Can you please look to see who it is?" I asked him.<br>"It's your work," he replied.  
>I glanced up at the clock hung on the ceiling. No, I wasn't late for work. <em>"What other reason could it be?"<em> I asked myself.

Brax walked over to my side of the iron board and handed me my phone. Time was running out, and I still hadn't ironed the pants of my uniform. I told him to put it down on the board next to me, answer it, and activate it to speaker. Brax made sure he could contain himself to keep quiet before pressing the green answer button.  
>"Sergeant Buckton," I said into the phone.<br>"It's Constable Watson here," she said.  
>I was about to tell her that I still had a few minutes before my shift started, but she wasted no time, which prevented me from saying anything.<br>"We've just caught someone in possession of a bag full of marijuana," she said.  
>"Who is it?" I asked.<br>"Brodie Upton," she answered immediately.  
>As my jaw dropped, so did Brax's.<p> 


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty Three **

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>"Pardon me?" I said, while going into my bedroom.  
>"Brodie Upton," Constable Watson repeated herself.<br>"As in the River Boy?" I double checked.  
>"That's the one," replied Watson.<br>"How surprising..." I said, trying to sound like a typical cop who always stereotyped the River Boys.  
>"Can you please come into the station as soon as you can?" she asked.<br>"Yup, just let me wrap up a few things at home and then I'll be there as soon as I can," I answered.  
>"See you soon," she said.<br>I hung up the phone immediately, threw it onto the bedside table and slapped my hands against my face.

"Brodie... How could he be so stupid!" Brax shouted as soon as I returned to the living room. Fortunately we were both on the same page here. Brax and I had clearly told the boys to leave all the crops behind and to go home empty handed. Obviously, they hadn't listened.  
>"I've got to get down to the station," I told Brax.<br>"Is Brodie down there now?" he asked me.  
>"I'm not too sure," I replied. "I assume he is as Watson told me to meet her there."<br>"I've got to come too," he said. "Nobody else will be able to bail him out."  
>"Brax, you can't. Firstly, everyone will then know about us if you come with me," I warned. "Secondly, all the officers at the station would wonder how you would know. Remember that those who are under arrest have to make phone calls under the supervision of a few cops," I reminded him.<br>Brax looked worried and couldn't think of something to do. "I'll handle it," I said.  
>"What if Brodie wasn't the only idiotic one?" he asked me unsurely. "What if some of the other boys took some too? If they can narrow all the boys down, you and I both know that everything will come back to me," he said.<br>I had never seen Brax so worried before. By what he was saying, I knew that this time he really was serious about changing his ways. Usually in the past, he would've been all for it. I walked towards Brax and reached for his hands. I held onto them both tightly. "I won't let any of this link back to you. I promise baby," I said quietly. He looked straight at me and smiled. "Thank you," he whispered and kissed me gently.

I drove to the police station as quickly as I could. As I pulled up towards the entrance, I noticed that Watson's patrol car was parked safely. This meant that Brodie was probably in there already. I pulled up the hand brake of the car, turned the engine off and got out.

As soon as I got into the station, to my left, I saw Brodie sitting in one of the seats with handcuffs. Fortunately, he was the only one there. Either the other River Boys had actually listened to us and had returned home empty handed, or they didn't get caught. I shot Brodie a subtle glare when I walked past him. He and I both knew what was really going on. It all depended on whether either of us would tell the truth or not. Obviously if you're charged, you are to be honest, but in this case, there would be a slight possibility where it wouldn't work for me. Using my common sense, I knew to not tell the truth. If I did, I could be charged for a numerous amount of things. It was all down to Brodie.

Brodie's P.O.V.  
><span>I flinched a little as soon as I saw Charlie step foot into the station. Even if I knew she was a Sergeant here, I was hoping she wouldn't be working today. I knew that she knew what had really gone on. I didn't feel like telling my half of the story, and I'm pretty sure she didn't either. My only way to not tell the story was if someone bailed me out. That someone could only be Brax. Although there were a whole heap of River Boys, none of them were as convincing as Brax. Even after he and Charlie had told us to put all the marijuana back to where we found it, I knew he would bail me out. He would bail any of us boys out.

"Mr Upton," a voice said. I looked up and there stood Charlie gripping a file tightly in front of me.  
>"Yes Buckton?" I replied. Although Charlie and I were now on good terms because of Brax, I couldn't act friendly to her in front of the coppers or else they would suspect something before we knew it.<br>"Can you please follow me into the interview room?" she asked.  
>"Can't I get someone to bail me out?" I questioned.<br>"Well, only if they get here in the next fifteen minutes," she told me.  
>I didn't know how long Brax would take, but it was worth a shot. "Yeah, okay," I said.<br>From her face expression, I could tell that she knew I was going to call Brax.  
>"Oh and just so you know, this is going on the record either way," she said.<p>

Fortunately for me, Charlie was now the only officer in the building. We couldn't say anything as there were probably security cameras all over the place. She watched me as I dialled Brax's number. He would be far from happy, mainly because I didn't listen to him, and now I'm asking him to bail me out. I knew what he was capable of if us boys didn't listen to him but it was a whole lot better than sitting behind bars.  
>"Brax, it's me, Brodie," I said immediately after hearing him pick up.<br>"Mate, where are you?" he asked.  
>"At the station..." I said slowly, although I assumed he already knew.<br>"And? What did they say?"  
>"If you come here in the next fifteen minutes to bail me out, no questions will be asked. This will just be on the record," I told him.<br>"Who was suppose to be interviewing you?"  
>"Buckton. Just hurry up and come okay?"<br>I could tell he was awfully annoyed, but thankfully he agreed anyway.


	34. Chapter 34

_**Thank you so much to everyone who has being reading and reviewing this story. I've decided that this will be the last chapter as I feel like this story isn't really going anywhere and it keeps dragging. Also, I'm so busy with school and everything. I hope you've liked this story and all your reviews have been much appreciated. xx**_

**Chapter Thirty Four **

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>Immediately after getting off the phone with Brodie, I made my way down to the police station as quickly as I could. It was fortunate for us that Charlie was the only copper down at the station as it would be easier for both her and me to get Brodie off his charges. I'll definitely have it in for him afterwards though, as he was an idiot for not listening to us and getting caught with the drugs.

Pulling up to the police station felt a little strange nowadays as I hadn't been there for awhile as us boys have reduced our chances of getting caught by the coppers. Luckily it was still only Charlie who was in the station as it was just her car which was parked in sight.

I entered the station and there sat Brodie waiting for me. Charlie was working at the front desk, who slid a smile at me when she saw me walk in. It felt a little awkward knowing that Brodie was the only other person in the room, especially seeing as he knew we were together. To avoid any awkwardness, and in case any other officer came in anytime soon, Charlie quickly gave me the papers to sign so that Brodie and I could leave soon after.

Charlie's P.O.V.  
><span>As soon as Brax and Brodie left the station, I texted him, asking if we could have some private time together later tonight. Leah had taken VJ to the city, and I figured that it would be pretty easy to convince Ruby to stay out of the house for the night. The shift at work was getting awfully boring, and I really needed something to look forward to once I got myself out of the station.

Brax's P.O.V.  
><span>As I was waiting at the lights, I heard my phone beep. _"My place tonight? Does 7pm sound good to you? Love, Charlie xx" _I couldn't help myself but smile.  
>"Why the cheesy grin?" Brodie asked.<br>"You, keep your mouth shut. I still haven't dealt with you yet," I said to him. I pulled up at his driveway. He took his seat belt off, but couldn't get out as I immediately locked the doors.  
>"Whaaaat..?" Brodie said, looking at me puzzled.<br>"Mate, do you know how much trouble you caused today? Charlie and I told you to leave everything alone, yet you took some and got caught by the police," I said angrily.  
>"I know, I'm sorry Brax," he replied.<br>"Sorry isn't good enough mate. I only tell you boys to stop doing these things to keep you all safe."  
>"I know, I'm sorry," Brodie repeated. "Is that it?"<br>"Is that what?" I asked.  
>"Well I don't want to give you ideas, but usually you use actions rather than words..."<br>I got where he was coming from. "Nah mate, I've come to my senses that violence isn't the answer."  
>I unlocked the door to let him get out. "Buckton's really gotten into you Brax..." I heard him say under his breath.<br>_"Yeah, yeah she has, but for the right reasons," _I thought to myself. Before heading off back home, I quickly flicked a reply to Charlie. _"Yeah, sure. Looking forward to it xx." _

Charlie's P.O,V.  
><span>Every time my phone went, I would always check to see if it was Brax. An hour had passed and I had given up hope. "Charlie, your phone," Watson called over to me as I was speaking to one of the other constables. Before I knew it, she had already picked it up and looked to see who it was from. A raced towards her and tried to snatch my phone from her, but it was too late.  
>"Who's DB?" she asked.<br>My heart was pounding, and it was obvious that my face was blushing extremely hard. "Give me that," I said to her.  
>She handed it over, but unfortunately she didn't drop the conversation. "So, who's DB?" she repeated.<br>"Nobody," I said quickly.  
>"Ah huh," she replied, obviously not believing me.<br>"Just drop it okay?" I asked.  
>She ignored me. "So, are you going out tonight?"<br>"That's none of your business," I snapped.  
>Luckily, my shift was over so I ran out of the door to avoid any more questions.<p>

Once I reached home, it was already 6pm. That spared me an hour before Brax would come over.  
>"Ruby!" I called out.<br>Within seconds, she was standing right next to me. "Oh, you're home," I said.  
>"Oh wow, obviously trying to not sound so disappointed..." she said.<br>"Baby girl, I'm sorry!" I said quickly. "Haven't you got plans tonight?" I asked.  
>"Uh... No?" she said.<br>"Oh..."  
>Ruby, being the queen of jumping to conclusions, quickly spoke up. "Having some mysterious guy over are we?"<br>I said nothing, but felt my cheeks blush.  
>"Have you already moved on from Brax!" she yelled.<br>"Shush! Ruby, lower your voice down!" Luckily, her phone rang before I had to answer her. She dived off into her room to answer it.

"Well that was weird," Ruby said, as she returned to the living room after speaking on the phone.  
>"What is weird?" I asked her.<br>"Well... Casey just asked if I wanted to spend the night with him..."  
><em>"Phew," <em>I thought in my head. "What's so weird about that?" I asked Ruby. "Did something go on between you two?"  
>"No, no, of course not! It's not that. It's just that you asked if I had plans tonight, and now all of a sudden, I do. Are you sure that you and Case aren't planning something?" she asked me jokingly.<br>"No, nothing that I know of," I answered.

Ruby's P.O.V.   
>A knock was heard from the door. It must have been Charlie's mystery guy as Casey obviously wouldn't be picking me up seeing as our house isn't that far away. I went to open the door. There stood Brax in the doorway. "Err... Hi?" I said.<br>"Aren't you pleased to see me?" he joked.  
>"No, I am, but what are you doing here?" At the same time, I heard Charlie dashing to the door.<br>"Brax, it's not even 7pm yet!" she said.  
>"I thought I'd surprise you!" Brax replied.<br>"Am I the only one who has no idea about what's going on?" I asked.  
>Neither of the two needed to answer me. I realised what was going on when Brax walked in and kissed Charlie. "Oh ew, I'm going now. Here's the house, all for yourselves." I said, and quickly ran out the door.<p> 


End file.
